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Austrian Women's Award Winner 2005:
Kathrine Switzer
Pioneer of Women's Runs
Only 30 years ago even experts could not imagine
that women were able to run long distances. Thanks to
Kathrine Switzer's encouragement and commitment women
are allowed to participate in running events.
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She started in 1967 at the Boston Marathon,
although female participants were not permitted. An organiser
who dsicovered her among the male running crowd tried to stop
her with force. Kathrine Switzer could finish the race despite
the incident. The pictures of that event went around the world
and made many marathon organisers open their run for women
too.
To make women running is Kathrine Switzer's
great concern. She is one of the initiators of the very first
women's run of the world, the NY Mini 10K, that took place
in 1972 in New York. It became a shining example for the international
idea of a women's run. Kathrine Switzer ran 35 marathons in
total, and she received numerous awards, among others the
Emmy Award for her reporting at the Los Angeles Marathon.
Austrian Women's Run Award 2005 to Kathrine Switzer
With the Austrian Women's Run Award Kathrine Switzer was honoured
on June 12th, 2005 for her merits.
Kathrine Switzer - Biography
| 1959 |
At the age of 12 Kathrine Switzer starts to run 1 mile
every day. |
| 1967 |
Boston Marathon: Jack Semple, chief organiser of the
traditional race, tries to push, bump and tear a woman
out of the running crowd with all his strength - just
because she is a woman. But Kathrine Switzer keeps on
running, finishes the race and is the first woman who
participated officially at the Boston Marathon. Pictures
of the event go around the world. |
| 1974 |
Winner of the New York City Marathon |
| 1976 |
Runner's World Magazine awards her as "Runner of
the decade" (1966-76) |
| 1977-1986 |
AS director of the Avon Sport Programme she is responsible
for women's running events in many parts of the world.
At this time more than 100 events in 21 countries took
place, with more than a million women participating. |
| 1981 |
"Billie Jean King Award" for the commitment
to allow women the participation at the Olympic Games
marathon.
1986 foundation of her company for sport promotion in
Atlanta; in addition she works as sport reporter (Kathrine
Switzer is a studied publicist and writes for several
newspapers and magazines, for example the New York Times,
Women Today, Runners World) |
| 1997 |
Emmy Award for the reporting at the Los Angeles Marathon |
| 2000 |
"Fred Lebow Award" for her contribution to
women's running sport in the USA |
| 2002 |
"Visionary of the century" (Runner's World
Magazine) |
| 2003 |
"Abebe Bikila Award" of the New York Road
Runners for her worldwide contribution to the running
sport |
More about Kathrine Switzer:
http://www.katherineswitzer.com
Kathrine Switzer describes her experiences at
the Austrian Women's Run 2005 in her own words:
Abridged text from
"Worlds Apart: Women We Love"
by Kathrine Switzer
| The actual site of the Austrian Women's Run is held
in the Prater, a huge park smack in the middle of Vienna,
a city of such baroque and rococo intensity that it reminds
me of a whipped cream cake. It is an ideal location: pancake
flat, shady and on soft asphalt, the one loop 5K and two-loop
10K races are perfect for fast times, spectators, superb
organizational control, and best of all as a venue for
the day-long festival that follows.
All of which Ilse Dippmann envisioned
years ago when she had a dream of organizing a women's
only race in Austria and the determination to do it
and build it every year. Dippmann, a schoolteacher and
3:15 marathoner, several times ran the Chicago and New
York City marathons, but what impressed her the most
was the original women's-only race, the New York Mini
Marathon, a highly-spirited 10K race around Central
Park.
With ideas from these events, Dippmann
started her first event with a field of 342 women. Every
year she added a new component, building carefully,
keeping quality paramount. The Austrian Women's Run
now has become a full-time professional effort, with
many layers of sponsorship, entertainment (7 different
bands), catering (6 different beer stalls!), and technical
support. Now it is the largest race in Austria after
the Vienna Spring Marathon.
"Every year our race has grown
hugely but I was afraid to hope for 10,000", Dippmann
said. "That day has now come, and I'm so happy."
I was too! Dippmann asked me to wear bib number 10,000
in honor of the landmark occasion.
The race is huge and slick, but intensely
personal as women from all over Austria came together
for their annual rite of racing, jogging or Nordic walking.
It was brilliant running past banks of wildly cheering
men - a sort of reverse of the Boston Marathon's Wellesley
College.
"Many times over the years I wondered
if I should give up this race, if all the work is worth
it", said Dippmann. "This year, I knew we
were right to persevere. We have moved to the next higher
level. Sometimes you get too close to the work to see
how wonderful the event is and how significant it is
for so many women. In the end, you know you're changing
their lives and they will pass on this vision, too."
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