Full Description
The incredible untold stories of the British women who broke the rules and pioneered female running today.
Did you know that until April 1975 women in the UK were not permitted to race more than four miles and were banned from racing against men? Back in the 1960s, women started to break the rules and 'crash' men's road races, challenging discrimination and showing that they were perfectly capable of running marathons - or even further.
Sports historian Katie Holmes shares the untold stories of these female pioneers. Amidst social and cultural change, feminism and significant changes in athletics brought about by the 1970s jogging craze and the marathon boom of the early 1980s, these inspirational women broke the rules, broke records and broke barriers.
There's Violet Piercy who set the first women's world best in the marathon in 1926; Scottish athlete Dale Greig who ignored the rules to compete in the 1964 Isle of Wight marathon; and 'Queen of the Roads' Leslie Watson who successfully challenged the exclusion of women from Britain's most famous ultramarathon.
This is a fascinating, inspiring account of how British women asserted their right to run long distance and changed the landscape of running for good.
Contents
Introduction
1. Women have always been athletes
2. Dale Greig and the 1960s
3. The early 1970s: Rulebreakers and ghost runners
4. 1975: A year of change
5. 1976 to 1979: The marathon pioneers
6. Leslie Watson: Queen of the Roads
7. New opportunities for women: Jogging and the marathon boom hit Britain
8. The first London Marathon: The Avon International Women's Marathon 1980
9. Lyn Billington: Campaigning for change
10. Joyce Smith: Setting the standard for the marathon
Conclusion
