Runner's Corner

April 2007 :: Index of issues

Running Down a Dream for Life:

How Title IX Gave me a Lifelong Sport

It was the fall of 1975 and I was looking forward to trying out for the women’s tennis team at Wake Forest University. In just a few days, my hopes were dashed as I was literally blown off the tennis courts by not only current team members but also “third string” players. My boyfriend at the time suggested I go out for the cross country team that he was on. While there was no women’s team, he had heard about Title IX and was sure the men’s team would need to comply and welcome me.

The next day I talked to Coach Bill Delastatious and his assistant. They were delighted to have me join the team and told me about the Shea sisters who not only ran on NC State’s cross country and track team but were setting American records for women running in all-mens meets. I was a little tenuous as to how 25 guys would take to me tagging along, actually running behind most of them, but to my happy surprise, I was welcomed and accepted by all. Even the local newspaper came out and did a story “cross country workouts go co-ed” and no opposition surfaced at this time.

I worked out hard, running both morning and afternoon practices. Still, I often finished last or near the back of the back in cross country races and was starting to feel a little discouraged. Then a truly amazing turn of events happened, Coach informed me that my time for 5000 meters would qualify me for the women’s national cross country meet to be held in Wisconsin. I was thrilled especially since I was running in heavy leather tennis shoes as women’s running shoes were hard to come by and few companies yet made women’s shoes or apparel.

Getting to Nationals financially was another story. While the men’s team and department were absolutely thrilled with my running and competitive spirit, the women’s athletic director at the time was rather horrified. She was of the opinion that women should play but not take competitive sports too seriously. In those days in the south it was constantly stressed that, “horses sweat, men perspire and women glow.” The thought of hardcore competition for a woman, especially a sport in which one sweated, was not well accepted.

Given the opposition from the women’s athletic director, I went to the school newspaper who ran a feature story on the issue. By that time the story also reached the local papers and around campus. Under political pressure, the women’s athletic director conceded and agreed to pay my way to nationals. I was able to compete in the women’s national cross country meet finishing in the top half of the country.

I became so thrilled with running and the positive health changes it brought my body that I decided to major in health and physical education. I also decided I wanted other women to share my joys and the next year Wake Forest added a women’s cross country team. Now the university sports a full women’s track and cross country team! I also teamed up with local runners and helped found the Twin City Track Club which promotes races for young and old. The club is still going strong today offering summer track meets, road races, timing and promoting running for young and old.

It was exciting to finally get a women’s team and more women to train with. That fall I won most valuable cross country runner and was thrilled to find 4 other women who would share the sport with me. However, I also was longing do to longer races, the lure of the marathon, a 26.2 mile event was in my mind and so the next year I opted to run distance races instead of cross country for the school.

Here again another wonderful event elevated my sporting life to a new level. I traveled to Charleston, West Virginia to compete in their grueling 15 mile race. They offered free housing and gas money if you traveled from more than 50 miles away. I had finished 4th the year before and was hoping to place higher. Well, I won the race, sporting an outrageous pink swimming top as women’s sport bras were yet to be invented and my picture in pink went across the nation. It got the attention of Nike shoes who called me up the next day and asked, “Would I compete on their national team?” “Would I?” It was a dream come true. The next week boxes and boxes of shoes arrived at my doorstep and now I had equipment and travel money to head to the big races and become nationally ranked. I set my sights on the marathon.

As I became more and more interested in my sport, I decided to pursue a masters and Ph.d. in Exercise Science. I was accepted at Kent State University in the fall of 1979 and was glad to be coming back to my home state of Ohio. I decided I would start training for the Cleveland marathon and wrote race director Reno Starnoni to see if I could get expenses to his race. He immediately called me and not only wanted me to come to the Cleveland marathon but offered me a spot of the adidas national team which paid more travel money than I was getting. I couldn’t believe my good fortune as it was still a lot harder for a top female runner to get money and sponsorship than males. I was fortunate to run for many years for adidas traveling to the Boston Marathon, New York in 1982 where I ran a 2:42.46 and was ranked 22nd in the nation! What a place to be after thinking I was an athletic failure when I was blown off the tennis courts less than ten years earlier.

With my success as a marathoner nationally, I logically starting thinking Olympics. However I was absolutely shocked to learn that there was NO marathon for women in the Olympics, not even a 5000m or 10,000m race! It was then I became an activist and joined many women and companies like Avon to work to get a marathon for women added to the Olympics. We were able to get one for 1984 and I set my sights on qualifying for the First Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials held in Olympia, Washington. The qualifying time was to break 2:50 and I was well below that. However it took a few marathons to barely qualify at Houston in 2:48.48 in February and then I was on that starting line in May. Only the top 3 women in the Olympic Trials made the team that day but I made history finishing in the first women’s Olympic marathon trials and in the top half. I also met a remarkable woman, sister Marion, who was running in the Olympic Marathon at age 50! She helped me see running could be a lifelong sport and I began to switch my focus from studying the physiology of athletes to the benefits of exercise on health. I truly began to understand that “exercise is medicine.”

In 1985 I got a wake up call as to how important health and exercise can be when I discovered a grape-fruit size cyst on my right ovary. I had to have major surgery, like a c-section without the baby and was told to do no running for 8 weeks. But the cherished Cleveland marathon, which I had won in 1982 was just 7 weeks away and I was determined to run anyway. So I slipped out of the hospital room and jogged a bit in the parking lot. A few weeks later I did a 20 mile run and decided to run the race. Low and behold, 7 weeks after major surgery I won the 1985 Cleveland marathon and Channel 3 captured the entire race on TV. What made the victory even sweeter was that my mom, a cancer survivor, was at the finish line. The ability to come back after surgery helped me help a lot of people and I started realizing that through my sport and education I could be a healer. I began adding more health information and inspirational videos to my teaching.

Then in 1991, my biggest fan and most loyal supporter, my mother Jeanne, would lose her battle with cancer. Running through grief was the greatest challenge my running career faced. And yet in 1995, Channel 3 from Cleveland called and asked would I be running in the marathon, and by the way, it would be on Mothers Day. How to run without Mom was a huge challenge until a student who had lost her mom to cancer too helped me come up with the green ribbon project. We contacted the race directors and I sent out a letter and green ribbons to all runners to wear to remember growth and life and anyone they had lost. The green ribbons and the video of finishing Cleveland in 1995 now comes out every quarter when my students need some support and encouragement.

Today I still compete as won of the top Master’s runners. I look forward to becoming a Grand master (50+) next April and I also help coach and advise other runners. I write a free runner’s corner advice column which can be accessed by going to Premierraces.com and then click on runner’s corner. I also founded my own company, LiveWell for Life with Dr. Kitty, LLC and give seminars to companys, coaches and athletes on how to live well for life. I have also completed a DVD called, “Running and Winning the Race of Life,” with NE Running Club. It is available for !5.00 by contacting Brian Daniels at bcd888@hotmail.com. All proceeds will go to benefit the club’s scholarship fund. Each year the club gives $4000 in scholarship money to deserving graduating high school runners who are good students and leaders to help them with college. I love my full time teaching job in Health Sciences at Ohio University Zanesville and cherish each day that I get to go running. Thanks to Title IX, I found a sport that I love and will continue for life.

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