Hello!
I wanted to slide into your inboxes one last time before the end of the year to send you one more issue and say thanks for following along as I got this project off the ground. I started this newsletter in mid-December 2018 after mulling it over for a while. 2019 has been a huge year for women’s running media (and for the sport), and it’s been fun and rewarding to contribute to that in a small way. That said, it’s also been a very busy year for me personally, and I’m hoping to spend more time on this project in 2020 than I ended up being able to over the past several months.
In other personal updates, I’m also in the recovery period from racing CIM 3 weeks ago, and planning to run Boston again in April. (If you’re in the same boat, say hello!) Please send good winter running vibes, motivation to get out the door, more NYC-based running partners, etc. In the meantime, here are some stories to tide you over until the first issue of 2020. Thanks for reading!
The running stories of the decade
So much has happened in the running world just this year that it’s a tall order to zoom out and examine the narratives that defined the sport across the 2010s. Still, we asked Fritz Huber to do that for Outside, and here’s what he came up with: Caster Semenya’s story forced an ongoing debate about gender in sports, we saw the rise and fall of the Nike Oregon Project, the Vaporflys (in all their controversy) were born, and more.
Des goes for the double (but really the triple)
Earlier this month, Des Linden announced that she just couldn’t choose between running the Trials on February and running Boston in April—so she’s going to do both. (And ideally run the Olympic marathon this summer as well.) Yes, it’s a little bit of a crazy idea. But of course, this is what we all love about Des. I can’t wait to see her get after it.
OTQs at CIM
As usual, CIM was a big day for anyone going for the Olympic Trials standard. But this year was extra exciting, since it’s getting down to the wire with the Trials coming up in February. In this piece I edited for Outside, we caught up with four runners who just barely snuck in, including Jenny Donnelly and Ann Mazur on the women’s side.
Send Lauren Fleshman your ideas!
Lauren recently tweeted that she’s working on a book proposal after the reaction that followed her powerful New York Times op-ed from November about girls’ bodies and sports. (If you still haven’t read it, seriously get on that.) She’s looking for all kinds of ideas from the running community and beyond, so let her know what you think should be covered!
Further reading and quick hits
Kara Goucher and Sally Bergesen discuss the state of the sport. A lovely piece about Rob Krar, mental illness, and running. Meet the new elite squad in Flagstaff. The story of Annet Negesa, an intersex runner who had surgery in order to keep competing—and has suffered many consequences. The new wave of athlete moms. Katelyn Tuohy is headed to NC State. And ICYMI: Paula Radcliffe is Jordan Hasay’s new “mentor-coach.”
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