I'm running with Kathrine Switzer!

I have had several friends say to me, "you're going to run the Berlin Marathon by yourself?" I just smile and nod my head. I guess what they mean is I am flying out to Germany by myself (that's a first, I've never been to a foreign country alone before!) But once I get to Berlin, I will be surrounded by my kind.

There's 40,000 of us who will run the Berlin Marathon on September 25. I'm the oldest of the 10 Cindys (including the alliteratively named Cindy Gindi from New York) who will be running. Well, not all of us are running. Two of the Cindys will be participating in the in line skating portion of the marathon. That's the thing about Berlin - it's a marathon like the other 4 US marathons I've run, but many things about it are slightly different, such as having skaters complete the 26.2 miles. Oh, that's another difference, it will be measured in kilometers, which has this math challenged Cindy nervous. I know 42 point something kilometers equals roughly 26.2 miles, but I can't do the math while I'm running. Hopefully my Garmin watch will still calculate the miles in, well, miles, and I will know how to pace myself. Other differences include showers and alcohol free beer at the finish line (not sure in which order) and weird food handed out at various kilometer points. I'm imagining bratwurst, beer WITH alcohol, dumplings... all bets are off for trying to guess what we will be served during this international marathon.

Anyway, back to who is running. There will be 2 other Bishops, both from the UK. Alexandra Oppenheimer will be skating the marathon, and there is a guy with the last name of Oppenhaim running. He can't use the excuse that one of his ancestors had the family name changed back at Ellis Island since he is from Israel. And there are at least a dozen runners (no skaters in this group) who are from all corners of the world (North America, Europe, Asia) who are between 90-91 years old. How cool is that?

And then there are the elites. The current world record holders in the marathon, Ethiopa's Haile Gebresalaisse (2:03:59) and Paula Radcliffe from Great Britian
(2:15:25) will be running Berlin and trying to smash their records. Lots of other super fast world class athletes will be running this World Marathon Major super flat and fast course. And then there's Kathrine Switzer. She is the woman who broke the no women allowed barrier at the Boston Marathon back in 1967, was instrumental in getting the Olympics to accept women as capable of running a marathon back in 1984, and then is spending her life getting women involved in running and fitness. I just found out (on a German website!) that Kathrine will be appearing at the expo and running Berlin. I met her back in '09 when she was a speaker at the Space Coast Marathon, and was impressed with her and her passion for women in athletics. I hope to be able to see her again at the Expo - or out on the streets in Berlin.

I'm psyched, nervous, and excited about this adventure in Germany. A week away, the weather looks fantastic. Soon it will be me, along with other Cindys, Bishops, Oppenheimers, 90 somethings and many elites running Germany's Berlin Marathon. I can't wait!!!

I'm running the Boston Marathon!

Me with the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon - Kathrine Switzer

I thought all I had to do to participate in the Boston Marathon was run a sanctioned marathon in under 4 hours, 5 minutes. On 10/10/10, as described in my last post, I ran the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon in 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 12 seconds, over a 32 minute PR for me. That more than qualified me. Boston, here I come!
Registration for the Boston Marathon opened up on Monday, October 18, at 9:00 AM. I checked out the website, and saw that all I needed to do was complete an online registration. How hard could that be?
I remember reading that last year, registration maxed out about 2 and 1/2 months after the registration opened. In prior years the registration lasted longer, 3 months, 4 months, even right up until the race in mid April.
But I really, really wanted to run this race that I had trained so hard for. So, rather than waiting a few months, or even a few weeks, to register, I was ready at 9:00 AM that Monday morning. Ready meaning I had two computers on, with two different internet browsers going. As a baby boomer growing up in a heavily populated suburb of New York City in the 1960's and 1970's, I practically came out of the womb knowing I had to compete hard for scarce resources.
It took until 11:30 AM to get onto the site and complete the registration. I thought I had it tough, trying to get registered for 2 and 1/2 hours, until I read the Boston Athletic Association website that night. For the first time in 115 years, the Boston Marathon sold out in eight hours. Anyone who tried to register after 5 PM that Monday was out of luck, as was anyone whose qualifying marathon was scheduled for after October 18th.
But as difficult as registration was for me this year, consider what a hard time Kathrine Switzer had trying to get into the Boston Marathon in 1967. She was the first woman to officially run the all male Boston Marathon. She registered (although not online!) as K. Switzer. She began the race, in a baggy sweatsuit, but sharp eyed Jock Semple, the race director, didn't want a woman in his race, so when he spotted Kathrine running early in the race, he physically attacked Kathrine. Kathrine's All American football player boyfriend separated Jock from Kathrine, so to speak, and when Jock remained on the ground, Kathrine and her boyfriend ran away from him. Kathrine spent the rest of the race thinking about how to make something of this incident (which was heavily photographed). She finished her first marathon, then ran 35 more marathons. And then? Kathrine has been spending the the rest of her life inspiring more than 1 million women in 27 countries, through the creation of the Avon Running program, to run and achieve their dreams.
When I met Kathrine Switzer at The Running Zone, I told her what a huge inspiration she has been to me, not only in running but in working for women's equality. I brought my teenage daughter Liana to meet her too. I cherish Kathrine's book, Marathon Woman, which she inscribed for me: "Cindy and Liana! To one who paves the way and the other who has no limits. Go for it! Kathrine Switzer, 11/18/09."
When I run those 26.2 miles through Boston on April 18, 2011, I will think of Kathrine Switzer, who paved the way for me, and so many other women, all over the world.