DiscoverCautionary Tales with Tim HarfordRun, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo
Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo

Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo

Update: 2024-07-057
Share

Description

Until the 1960s, it was deemed too "dangerous" for women athletes to run distances longer than 200m - and a marathon would kill them, or leave them unable to have children. Rubbish, of course. But when Kathrine Switzer signed up for the 1967 Boston Marathon, it wasn't the distance that bothered her - it was the enraged race director trying to assault her.   

Thanks to pioneers like Kathrine, women have made huge strides in long distance running - and are now challenging the times of men in the very races they were banned from for so very long.  

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

Check out more Olympics related content from Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comments 
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo

Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo

Pushkin Industries