What do you think?
Rate this book
First Ladies of Running: 22 Inspiring Profiles of the Rebels, Rule Breakers, and Visionaries Who Changed the Sport Forever
Today, millions of women and girls around the world enjoy running and entering races. It wasn’t always
* In 1961, when Julia Chase edged to the start of a Connecticut 5-miler, officials tried to push her off the road.
* At the 1966 Boston Marathon, Roberta Gibb hid behind a forsythia bush, worried that police might arrest her.
* The next year at Boston, Kathrine Switzer was assaulted mid-race by a furious race organizer.
* In the mid-60s, Indianapolis high schooler Cheryl Bridges was told not to run anywhere near the boys’ track team because she might “distract” them.
* When Charlotte Lettis signed up for the University of Massachusetts cross-country team in the fall of 1971, she was told to use the men’s locker room.
* A few years later in coastal Maine, young Joan Benoit would stop her workouts to pretend she was picking roadside flowers, embarrassed that her neighbors might spot her running.
First Ladies of Running tells the inspiring stories of these and other fiercely independent runners who refused to give up despite the cultural and sports barriers they faced. Legends such as Doris Brown, Francie Larrieu, Mary Decker, Jackie Hansen, Miki Gorman, and Grete Waitz are chronicled by Runner’s World editor Amby Burfoot. Burfoot even runs the 1994 Marine Corps Marathon with Oprah Winfrey, whose successful finish opened the floodgates for other women runners.
First Ladies of Running is a beautiful and long-overdue tribute to the pioneers of women’s running, and a gift of empowerment for female runners everywhere.
* In 1961, when Julia Chase edged to the start of a Connecticut 5-miler, officials tried to push her off the road.
* At the 1966 Boston Marathon, Roberta Gibb hid behind a forsythia bush, worried that police might arrest her.
* The next year at Boston, Kathrine Switzer was assaulted mid-race by a furious race organizer.
* In the mid-60s, Indianapolis high schooler Cheryl Bridges was told not to run anywhere near the boys’ track team because she might “distract” them.
* When Charlotte Lettis signed up for the University of Massachusetts cross-country team in the fall of 1971, she was told to use the men’s locker room.
* A few years later in coastal Maine, young Joan Benoit would stop her workouts to pretend she was picking roadside flowers, embarrassed that her neighbors might spot her running.
First Ladies of Running tells the inspiring stories of these and other fiercely independent runners who refused to give up despite the cultural and sports barriers they faced. Legends such as Doris Brown, Francie Larrieu, Mary Decker, Jackie Hansen, Miki Gorman, and Grete Waitz are chronicled by Runner’s World editor Amby Burfoot. Burfoot even runs the 1994 Marine Corps Marathon with Oprah Winfrey, whose successful finish opened the floodgates for other women runners.
First Ladies of Running is a beautiful and long-overdue tribute to the pioneers of women’s running, and a gift of empowerment for female runners everywhere.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2016
55 people are currently reading
758 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 3, 2016
I think it's hard for a man to give an accurate description of what it must have been like for female runners to compete during a time when women were not allowed on most courses. The individual stories are interesting, but there's a lot missing from this book. For example, there was no mention whatsoever of Stamatis Rovithi or Melpomene and very little mention of Violet Piercy and Arlene Piper. In terms of overall history in the sport, the book fell a bit flat. I preferred Loraine Moller's perspective in her book, "On the Wings of Mercury."
There were a few other minor issues I had with the book. Though Mary Slaney was rightfully included, there was no mention of her later drug use in the sport. Also, at the end of the book, there was a large grouping of runners listed as a nod to many who were pioneers during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Missing from this long list is Ann Trason, an ultra runner who broke 20 world records and set an example, possibly the most impressive one ever, of how women can not just run ultras but win them outright. Perhaps her career started too late, but there were a few others on the list who were hitting their stride in the late 80s as well.
One last note is that, as someone who was cut off and blocked by men in several races in the 80s, I felt these incidences were downplayed in this book. In nearly every case, the author suggests these types of events didn't happen often and implies they weren't that big of a deal. It's possible the ladies themselves feel this way, but I disagree.
It's worth a read, though. Just note that there's more to the story.
There were a few other minor issues I had with the book. Though Mary Slaney was rightfully included, there was no mention of her later drug use in the sport. Also, at the end of the book, there was a large grouping of runners listed as a nod to many who were pioneers during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Missing from this long list is Ann Trason, an ultra runner who broke 20 world records and set an example, possibly the most impressive one ever, of how women can not just run ultras but win them outright. Perhaps her career started too late, but there were a few others on the list who were hitting their stride in the late 80s as well.
One last note is that, as someone who was cut off and blocked by men in several races in the 80s, I felt these incidences were downplayed in this book. In nearly every case, the author suggests these types of events didn't happen often and implies they weren't that big of a deal. It's possible the ladies themselves feel this way, but I disagree.
It's worth a read, though. Just note that there's more to the story.
February 10, 2018
I felt quite misled as I read through these 22 runner profiles. I hoped to learn about the female movers and shakers in the world of running. Instead, I found huge gaps in Burfoot's work and was disappointed to see that my own sport of ultra-distance running was not mentioned at all.
This is a history of women's running in the United States with the marathon distance as its pinnacle. Although I enjoyed learning of these American running pioneers, Burfoot fails to mention that international women were already running and winning races at these distances while the USA kept its prohibition-like rules for keeping women off the track. It is very important to note that other countries did not have the same archaic rules banning women from participating in long distance running. Also, Burfoot makes it sound like the marathon is the maximum distance that has been attempted. There are real omissions in limiting his research to track and marathon. What about 100km and 100 mile races? Where is the data about those?
I did a little research of my own and found that women had results in 100 km races (Switzerland) as early as 1962, while the US did not allow women to run longer than 800 m at that time.
This is a case where the title of a book is immensely important - as I would not have picked it up if I had known it would share such a limited history.
This is a history of women's running in the United States with the marathon distance as its pinnacle. Although I enjoyed learning of these American running pioneers, Burfoot fails to mention that international women were already running and winning races at these distances while the USA kept its prohibition-like rules for keeping women off the track. It is very important to note that other countries did not have the same archaic rules banning women from participating in long distance running. Also, Burfoot makes it sound like the marathon is the maximum distance that has been attempted. There are real omissions in limiting his research to track and marathon. What about 100km and 100 mile races? Where is the data about those?
I did a little research of my own and found that women had results in 100 km races (Switzerland) as early as 1962, while the US did not allow women to run longer than 800 m at that time.
This is a case where the title of a book is immensely important - as I would not have picked it up if I had known it would share such a limited history.
March 19, 2018
I finished this book in tears. I was unaware of all the hard work women had to do to get this sport to where it was today. To think, we used to be viewed as too delicate to run!
May 30, 2016
Great read on the first ladies of running! Inspiring to know a bit more of the pioneering women who made running in public nothing to be ashamed of and you were no less female for competing in races, and winning them! The women who win the races they start to the woman who helped us all realize if you can run a marathon you can do anything.
March 4, 2018
This is a great read about the women pioneers of long distance running! Full review on my blog! http://www.takinglongwayhome.com/2016...
October 22, 2016
In this important book, Amby shares the courageous stories of 22 female runners in the 1960's and 70's. I highly recommend this book for runners and non-runners, women and men! I loved it.
May 7, 2017
This is what it says in the subtitle--22 inspiring profiles of the rebels, rule breakers, and visionaries who changed the sport forever. Ms. Burfoot did a great job of balancing personal details with facts and numbers. It could have been longer and still held my interest, but it didn't need to be. And it was, indeed, inspiring.
In the 1922 Olympics in Amsterdam, the IOC permitted a women's 800 meter race. It had dire consequences for the sport of running. Ms. Burfoot writes that one runner collapsed on the track--briefly--and a few others looked so tired and harried that the IOC banned the distance. As the author mentions, some of the men looked equally exhausted but no one even noticed.
Actually her information was a little off. No one really "collapsed on the track". One woman was trying to lean forward to edge out her teammate at the finish, and she fell forward. She got up immediately. And there were eleven finishers--no dropouts. See this article for a good description of reality vs. sensationalized news reporting, aka, fiction: http://www.runnersworld.com/running-t...
Nit-picking aside, the spirit of the book is excellent and the stories are both uplifting and painful. It's heartbreaking to read about the many times these runners were sidelined with injury. The science of the sport has advanced greatly since the 50s-70s, when these record-breakers were training, making and breaking. Many of their injuries might have been prevented with better training, more rest, and less oppressive footgear. But of course, not all of them. These are athletes and athletes sometimes get hurt. They're aggressive, determined, and uncompromising competitors. They pushed themselves beyond the limits and didn't give up easily--if at all.
In other words, they were women.
In the 1922 Olympics in Amsterdam, the IOC permitted a women's 800 meter race. It had dire consequences for the sport of running. Ms. Burfoot writes that one runner collapsed on the track--briefly--and a few others looked so tired and harried that the IOC banned the distance. As the author mentions, some of the men looked equally exhausted but no one even noticed.
Actually her information was a little off. No one really "collapsed on the track". One woman was trying to lean forward to edge out her teammate at the finish, and she fell forward. She got up immediately. And there were eleven finishers--no dropouts. See this article for a good description of reality vs. sensationalized news reporting, aka, fiction: http://www.runnersworld.com/running-t...
Nit-picking aside, the spirit of the book is excellent and the stories are both uplifting and painful. It's heartbreaking to read about the many times these runners were sidelined with injury. The science of the sport has advanced greatly since the 50s-70s, when these record-breakers were training, making and breaking. Many of their injuries might have been prevented with better training, more rest, and less oppressive footgear. But of course, not all of them. These are athletes and athletes sometimes get hurt. They're aggressive, determined, and uncompromising competitors. They pushed themselves beyond the limits and didn't give up easily--if at all.
In other words, they were women.
November 11, 2023
Definitely enjoyed reading the various profiles within this book - some names and stories I did know / recognize, but many were new to me. Each and every profile was really well done, with just the right amount of information about the runner's life and childhood and then a heavy focus on how they got into running and why and what they accomplished. It's easy to forget that the running world wasn't always all-inclusive, and I'm thankful to the women who forged ahead, either intentionally or just because it was something that they loved, in order to make it so today. My only wish overall for the book was for it to have been organized more chronologically - I started to get a little bit lost sometimes about who did what, because many of their stories did overlap. Still, a great compilation overall.
September 12, 2020
Enjoyable insomuch as it was so empowering to read about the trailblazing women who made it possible for me and so many others to pursue this sport. And it still ASTOUNDS me that there was still so much outcry and discrimination and women being physically pulled off race courses in my mother's lifetime. The fact that there wasn't even a female Olympic marathon until 19fucking84 is just absurd to me. The structure of this book is kinda weird -- it's just bios of women, not truly chronological, stacked one after the other. I would have preferred a more compelling narrative; this read more like a textbook. Also it is written by a man....... Still, worth it to give the women who made this sport what it is the honor and respect they deserve!
May 5, 2017
A very good book detailing the struggles of women in sports in the USA.
It is strange to think that in my lifetime, women could not run cross-country, 800/5k/10k events, or marathons similarly to men. I applaud these women and their supporters for breaking barriers and forging the way to the more healthy environment we have today.
Cheers to these pioneers and the tough struggles, and the visions they achieved to lead the next generations to a more equal playing field.
It is strange to think that in my lifetime, women could not run cross-country, 800/5k/10k events, or marathons similarly to men. I applaud these women and their supporters for breaking barriers and forging the way to the more healthy environment we have today.
Cheers to these pioneers and the tough struggles, and the visions they achieved to lead the next generations to a more equal playing field.
June 7, 2022
The book is well written, but a more appropriate title would have been 'First American Ladies of Running'. Except for the profile of Grete Waitz, the other 21 profiles are on American runners. Other international runners such as Ingrid Kristiansen and Abby Hoffman are mentioned as an after thought. It is a pitty that the author did not profile the world of elite runners who made a global contribution to women's running.
September 18, 2022
A collection of stories - each of them memorable and extraordinary. The author personally had met all of these ladies except for one. And perhaps more importantly, he knew some of them very well as a runner and as a friend. His admiration for all of them shines through, and some of these stories reveal the depth of his loving friendship. You don't have to be a runner or, for that matter, an athlete at all to enjoy these stories and be inspired by them. VERY highly recommended.
October 16, 2017
It was very interesting to read the stories of these women who were at the forefront of long-distance running for women. I started running in 2006, and I'm sure I benefitted from the hard work and courage of those women who went before me. It's not a quick read simply because of the sheer number of runners profiled, and because the profiles are well-done, but it's certainly an easy read.
March 2, 2019
Love, love, loved it. A must read for any female runner, or really any runner. This was so inspiring and eye-opening. It's hard to believe how recently gender barriers in running were broken down. This made me feel excited for my daughter's generation. Imagine how fast they will be, growing up with all the opportunities that they have. We owe so much to these ladies who paved the way.
June 10, 2019
This book was really inspiring to me since I run track. It was super interesting to learn about the first professional girl runners and how they made it possible for us to run competitively. I never realized how unaccepted it was in the past for girls to run and I am grateful that these woman pushed through the barrier and changed history.
July 11, 2022
A truly inspiring book. It is crazy to think that women running back in the 60s/70s wasn’t widely accepted because it wasn’t “feminine” to exercise and would damage the reproductive organs. Thank you to these pioneers of women’s running for showing future generations that there is no limit to what women can do!
May 16, 2024
The female pioneers of a sport I hold so near and dear to my heart!!!! I really enjoyed this book! I would love to meet these women who pushed so hard to be able to run. I never had to think twice about a run and whether or not I was breaking the rules, going to get kicked out, people questioning my sanity driving by.... THANK YOU to these women!
November 30, 2016
I am not sure what took me so long to finish this book except that I wanted to read every word about every person highlighted. But there were just too many. And so MANY valuable pioneers in women's running!
Didn't need Oprah in the book.at.all.
Didn't need Oprah in the book.at.all.
September 8, 2017
I absolutely loved reading this. Every single female runner's story featured in this book is so inspiring, and now, more than ever, I can't wait until I can train for another marathon again. If you're a runner, I can't recommend this one enough. Read it!
September 16, 2017
A great book about some of the pioneers of women runners. I love the in depth information about each women's upbringing and early running experience. The quotes by the runners are a perfect way to start each section. I throughly enjoyed this book.
June 12, 2018
It is unforgettable, startling, maddening, and absolutely inspiring to read what each of these women contributed to a sport we regard today as ordinary, popular, and totally mainstream. Although most stories were cloned into the same gratingly repetitious format: middle/beginning/end—their journeys will both baffle and inspire you. I don’t think I will ever be able to put on my running shoes without feeling a certain amount of indebtedness. These women all had a common drive to do what they loved despite the obstacles. I think being acutely aware of the extraordinary women who paved the way for the rest of us to run in their shadows will give my running more strength and tenacity.
February 3, 2019
Loved, loved, loved this book! It was so great to read about my childhood running heroines and learn about many other women runners. This book made me realize that my running path was already well worn by these amazing women.
June 14, 2019
I was so impressed with these inspiring women and they have contributed to the sport of running. They didn't even necessarily set out to make such profound changes, they simply wanted to run. Excellent read, even you're not a runner!
October 27, 2024
This is a great overview of some of the pioneers that enabled women's running to evolve to what it is today. It's important to have books like this so we can remember and honor their important contributions, sacrifices, and perseverance that empower us to run today.
July 17, 2017
a pleasant overview of some of the women who played the most important roles in running history. not super deep -- just . . . pleasant.
February 12, 2018
Inspiring stories overall, though including Oprah as a first lady of running doesn't really fit. But the stories were like a gloss over facts without substance
April 2, 2018
Very interesting and inspiring!
December 30, 2018
Humbling and inspiring. I recommend reading slowly and not as a book to fully appreciate each of the First Ladies (I read it too fast!).
June 15, 2019
"First (Mostly) White Ladies of US Marathon Running" would have been a more appropriate title.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews