Why Women's Races Matter
by Kelly Kruell
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Standing on the starting line of the L'Eggs Mini Marathon in 1979, I was overwhelmed by the electricity of thousands of women runners. It was so thrilling, so impressive. During the race, I could only marvel at the athletes ahead of and around me. More amazing, however, was watching the almost endless stream of women finishing behind me. My aunt, finishing some 20 minutes later, had difficulty even finding room to run. It was a pivotal event in our lives.
Women-only races offer a special atmosphere for athletes of all levels. For the front-runners, it is a chance to see their competition. Racing tactics change dramatically when there are no men: no one to dictate pace, to block the wind, to obscure the race unfolding. It's a rare challenge one that many competitive women eagerly seek. As a reward, women, for once, get center stage and the biggest prizes.
Certainly for all women, the camaraderie and support of a women-only race adds so much to the atmosphere. Often the profits from the race are given to women's causes, like breast cancer research or scholarships for women runners, which tends to draw out even the most casual runners. The Portland Race for the Cure, for example, drew 18,000 women last year. Nancy Hautala of Seattle notes that when she has invited other women to a race they are more apt to participate if it's an all-women event.
Women in the middle of the pack say they love the feeling of being swept along in a joyous parade of women. Beginning runners feel less self-conscious about their speed and more encouraged about their efforts. "Many women are self-conscious about their abilities or looks and feel that women would be less judgmental," says Hautala.
Women seem to flock to women-only races, but do men want men-only races? Runners on the Internet pointed out that high school, intercollegiate, Olympic, and international events are usually segregated. To the top male competitors, there is no point to having men-only road races. Bryan Beel of Washington says, "I wouldn't have interest in a men-only race because I already spend most of my racing time in front of the first woman, so I'm already getting that feeling." Many other male runners state that women-only races do not bother them, but they admit they don't always see the appeal of such events.
Twenty years ago, women-only races made a statement about women being able to run long distances. Today, they highlight women's competition while still welcoming participation of women runners of all ages and abilities. What hasn't changed is the immense empowerment that the participants feel as part of a large group of athletic women. After hundreds of races, I still get a special charge from all-women events.
Death of a race, birth of a law
Nineteen ninety-five saw the demise of a Minneapolis/St. Paul running tradition: the annual women's 10K race sponsored by the Northern Lights Running Club. The decision was based, in part, on a man's repeated lawsuits claiming discrimination and the race sponsor's decision to discontinue support. (Other factors were increased costs and, therefore, less money for the scholarship fund, and the heavy volunteer burden placed upon the small club in maintaining the race.)
This was a difficult decision for the Northern Lights Club, and many women mourned the race's passing. Club president Sue Wurl points out that "many positives occurred as a result of our decision." Other individuals stepped forward with ways to help preserve women-only racing in Minnesota. While the litigant may have won the battle, he did not win the war.
Phyllis Kahn is short, smart, and a fierce competitor. When NLRC decided to drop its women-only event due to the lawsuit, Kahn raced into action. The suit claimed that a man had been discriminated against when he was not permitted to enter the race because he was denied equal access to a "public accommodation" (the roadway and sidewalk), in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Kahn, a Minnesota state representative, introduced legislation in the House that amended the Minnesota act relating to public accommodations. The statute formerly defined "public accommodation" so broadly that attorneys for the race feared that they would lose the lawsuit. The proposed change provided an exemption from the antidiscrimination statute when "restricting membership on an athletic team or in a program or event to participants of one sex if the restriction is necessary to preserve the unique character of the team, program, or event and it would not substantially reduce comparable athletic opportunities for the other sex."
The measure attracted lengthy hearings and a heated debate. The talk-radio hosts and media had a field day with the issue, first supporting the amendment, then lambasting it. Ultimately, the measure passed, securing the right to hold women-only (and men-only) competition in the state.
The victory was sweet, but it was nothing new for Kahn. Sixteen years ago, she led efforts to institute separate qualifying times for masters women in the Boston Marathon, which then had only open men's, open women's, and men's masters qualifying times.
Race organizer Jack Moran, on the other hand, had a much later start in supporting equal opportunity for women. In the early days of road racing, Moran was a vocal critic of equal prize money for women racers. As a result, the women's running community soundly denounced him, and several leading women boycotted his races. In recent years, however, Moran had softened his views.
After the cancellation of the Northern Lights race, Moran, who operates a race results and management business, decided to risk a lawsuit himself and hold another women-only race on the traditional weekend. He found another course and a sponsor and named the 10K race in memory of a local woman runner who had been murdered. On a beautiful June day, the race drew a thousand runners. Though some women questioned his motives, Moran's actions spoke much about his commitment to women's racing.
While the loss of the Minnesota's premier women's event was very sad, the women's running community in Minnesota triumphed in the end. They have insured the right to hold women-only events in all sports, a greater victory than the shallow one the litigant gained.
WDF history
The first RRCA Women's Distance Festivals were held in the summer of 1980 to celebrate women's running and to publicize the fact that, at that time, women did not have the same running opportunities in the Olympics that men enjoyed. Since then the women's Olympic marathon was added in 1984, the 10,000 in 1988, and the 5,000 in 1996. There were 35 Women's Distance Festivals that first summer. For the past half-dozen years close to 100 have been held annually.
Initially the WDFs were all held on the third Saturday in July, the weekend closest to the men's Olympic marathon in Moscow in the summer of 1980. The RRCA continued that tradition through 1989, when the RRCA membership voted to allow a window of time, July 1 through October 31, so that more clubs in the hotter climates could accommodate a Women's Distance Festival in their annual schedules.
The WDF program supports to all RRCA clubs who choose to host a Women's Distance Festival, no matter the size race they hold. The program has enabled many smaller clubs to hold races for women. The RRCA encourages clubs to keep fees small and race distances short to attract more beginning runners and first-time racers.
The WDF program has given women members in RRCA clubs additional chances to get involved in the administrative aspects of the club as well as experience with race directing and opportunities to compete. As women have become involved they have inspired yet more women to take up running or be more active in their clubs.
Women runners who compete can't always run by themselves, but a Women's Distance Festival provides a chance to run only with other women and gives faster women a chance to cross the finish line first. Some WDF races are open to men it's wholly up to the individual clubs to decide but the spirit of the original festivals was to give women a chance to shine and to compete only against other women. For the most part, men runners have understood and supported these goals, and have helped in any way they can in this celebration of women's running.
For the past three years the Women's Distance Festival title sponsor has been Saucony, with Moving Comfort, Inc., Runner's World, and Women's Sports and Fitness as national sponsors.
Henley Gibble, director of the WDF program from 19801987, is now executive director of the RRCA.
Legal self-defense
In an age when lawsuits proliferate, directors of women-only races are becoming nervous. The legal costs of fighting even a frivolous suit could sink many a nonprofit running club. While in general it seems that only races with large corporate sponsors (that is, sponsors with money) are targets for discrimination lawsuits, smaller races should be cautious as well. George W. Campbell, Jr., the RRCA's legal counsel, has advice for race directors faced with a challenge to the women-only status.
Let the male entrant formally enter and ignore him during the race.
Specifically state that prizes will be awarded to first woman overall and in various age categories.
Have senior members of the race organization available to talk to the male applicant.
Be prepared with a list of alternative mixed races in the area at or near the same time.
Offer the male entrant membership in the organization and emphasize that the organization does not discriminate.
Do not use force, threats, or intimidation to try to keep the male applicant from entering or completing the race.
Enlist an attorney to investigate local discrimination statutes and their potential application as well as the precedent from the local Human Rights Commission.
Review local and state ordinances to see if an exemption such as Minnesota's (see page 16) could be implemented.
Our local Women's Distance Festival had another approach. We proposed a men's fun run, on the same course 30 minutes after the women's race, as an alternative. Billed specifically as a noncompetitive event, it was easy to cancel if no one turned out to be interested.
Concerned race directors should contact the RRCA national office for a copy of Campbell's excellent article "Women-Only Races: An Overview as to Legal Challenges and a List of Practical Pointers." K.K.
Kelly Kruell's last FootNotes article, "Running after children," appeared in the Fall, 1995 issue. She lives in Portland with her husband and daughters and just took the bar exam there.
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