All hail the Bowerman Babes
Rethinking race weight, Colleen Quigley’s first national title, and more.
Hi there!
Things have been busy over here with lots of running and travel, but we’re back in action. If you’re new here, welcome and thanks for subscribing! Here’s a status update on my own marathon training, in case you were wondering:
Rethinking race weight
Olympian Kate Grace wrote a really insightful, eloquent piece about her relationship with her weight and body image over the course of her career: “I spend a great deal of time working out and thinking about my physical development, to a level that would probably be maladaptive if I weren’t a professional athlete. Even in this specific and competitive world, I’ve only hindered myself when I focus too much on how my body looks, as opposed to what it can do,” she writes. This is a really important subject, and pro athletes often don’t touch it until they’re winding down, or looking back on their careers. I still find those contributions incredibly valuable, but it’s a rarity to hear an athlete share specific anecdotes about disordered eating from her own life while she’s still competing at her prime. It’s clear that Kate recognizes the effect that her words could have on other young athletes, and I hope some of her peers might follow suit.
More 🔥 from the Bowerman Babes
Earlier this month, I edited a piece by Fritz Huber for Outside’s running column about the rise of the Bowerman Track Club, particularly the women’s squad. “The fact that BTC women were nonetheless able to dominate felt like an affirmation of what most running fans in this country already know: the ‘Bowerman Babes,’ as they have branded themselves, are on fire right now,” Fritz wrote in reference to the team’s performance at the USA XC champs. In the few weeks since then, the Bowerman women have continued to dominate:
Colleen Quigley snags her first national title
At USA Indoors in Staten Island this weekend, Colleen Quigley beat her Bowerman teammate Shelby Houlihan (who has a notoriously lethal kick) to take home the national title for the indoor mile. The photos from her finish alone are incredible:
Among the other noteworthy women’s performances at the meet, high schooler Athing Mu won the title and set an American record in the 600; Ajee Wilson won the 1,000 for her ninth national title; and Houlihan came back to win the 2-mile—also her ninth national title.
Caster Semenya verdict coming soon
One of the biggest storylines in track and field over the past few years has been the controversy around Caster Semenya, the female middle distance runner with atypically high testosterone levels, who’s (unwillingly) become the face of a debate around gender and sports. If you’re unfamiliar with the basics of the case, you can read an explainer about it from Outside here. Semenya’s case was heard last week at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and a verdict is expected in late March.
Quick ones
Tempo Journal has been churning out great stuff lately, like these two recent stories on Magda Boulet and Alexi Pappas. I also really enjoyed this Runner’s World piece about unsponsored 2:30-marathoner (!) Sam Roecker, whom you might recognize from her side gig modeling for Tracksmith.
Called out
Drop me a line
I want to hear from you! Tell me about what you like here, what I missed, and what’s going on in your running life. (You can also follow the Kick on Twitter, and on Instagram.) Thanks for reading, and enjoy your miles.
Molly