Women’s running charity launches
One of the first New Zealand branches of an international women’s fitness charity is hoping to hit the ground running in Palmerston North.
Women’s running charity 261 Fearless, founded by women’s marathon pioneer Katharine Switzer, has clubs all over Europe and America, and has now come to Palmerston North, Christchurch and Auckland.
Palmerston North trainer Kate Southern said running was at the core of 261 Fearless, but it was also about helping women build their self-esteem.
‘‘It’s running with a side of friendship. Women of every background and level of fitness can come to make friends and build a support network.’’
The first of Palmerston North’s weekly training sessions will be at Waterloo Park at 9.30am tomorrow.
Southern said she jumped at the chance when she was approached last year to run the Palmerston North training sessions.
Switzer, an American marathon runner, had been a huge inspiration to Southern.
Switzer was the first woman to enter the Boston marathon in 1967, having registered using her initials. Women were barred from competing in marathons at the time.
Photographs of the race director’s unsuccessful attempts to physically stop Switzer from running appeared in media around the world and were later featured in Time magazine’s 100 Photos that Changed the World.
Women weren’t officially allowed to compete in the Boston marathon for another five years. Switzer then went on to spearhead a successful international campaign to include a women’s marathon in the Olympics, in 1984.
Switzer’s Boston Marathon race number, 261, has since become an empowering and inspirational symbol for women around the world, 261 Fearless New Zealand director Rachel Smalley said.
Southern was looking forward to sharing the inspiration with new people, and helping them find the satisfaction she’s found in running.
‘‘I always want to help others find the joy of running. It’s an empowering thing to set a goal and meet it, and that transfers over to the rest of your life.’’