Smells like XC season
No matter how old you are, the nostalgia for this time of year never really goes away.
Hello everyone,
We’re officially in the best weeks of running weather. Every year at this time, it feels like a different layer of running fitness comes out of hiding after months of the summer slog. With so much bad news and unpredictability this year, it’s a comforting constant that could almost trick me into believing that we’re heading into a normal season of fall racing. I hope you’re all soaking it up as much as I am.
The ultra that banned the phrase “Black Lives Matter”
I recently worked on this Outside piece by Fritz Huber about a dispute in the ultrarunning community over a team named Black Lives Matter. Ben Chan, the runner at the center of the piece, raises some really compelling, important points about what it means when white runners insist that running should be a “refuge” from serious discussions. And as Fritz puts it in the story: “There are members of the BIPOC running community who could not insulate themselves from the reality of racial injustice even if they wanted to.”
Caster Semenya lost her appeal
Earlier this month, Caster Semenya lost her appeal to compete in the 800 meters at next summer’s Olympics. This is merely the latest hurdle Semenya has faced after years of controversy over her gender and her ability to compete against other women. As in the past, it sounds like Semenya is determined to fight the decision however she can, but it’s not entirely clear what that will look like at this stage. If you’re interested in reading more about the various arguments on both sides of this debate, this is a really thoughtful piece from David Epstein—author of The Sports Gene—on how his views on Semenya’s case have changed over time.
Inside an FKT attempt on the Appalachian Trail
Portland-based runner Liz Anjos recently completed her AT run/thru-hike, which initially began as an FKT attempt. Fritz caught up with her in this Outside story about what it was like to attempt a speed record during a pandemic, and how Liz reevaluated her goals along the way. (She ended up falling off record pace early on, due to a nagging injury.) To be honest, I’m a little tired of hearing about FKT attempts at this point in our brave new world of pandemic racing, but I was intrigued by Liz’s attempt and eagerly followed along with her progress on Strava.
Gwen Berry gets the NYT op-doc treatment
This is a really powerful video of Olympian Gwen Berry (another Lindsay Crouse project!), talking about her experiences with Rule 50 and protesting on the world stage—and the consequences that followed. “I’m ready for Tokyo 2021 and my next podium,” Berry says. “And when I get there, I want to be able to raise my fist and my voice without being punished.”
More college runners speak out about abusive team cultures
This spring, a group of alumnae from the Wesleyan women’s cross country team spoke out about a culture of disordered eating and inappropriate coaching on their team. Last month, the Times covered that story, and the coach (John Crooke) resigned around the time of the story’s publication.
Also in August, a group of women runners from University of Arizona came forward about a “rotten culture” on their team, and last week, another group of their teammates stepped up to support their allegations. (The details of the UA story are wide-ranging and more difficult to summarize than the Wesleyan case, but essentially amount to neglectful/abusive coaching, including allegations of public weigh-ins and food tracking, and encouraging athletes to train while injured.) From my vantage, there seems to be a slow cultural shift happening in the running community around these kinds of issues and coaching practices. I’m sure we’ll see more athletes come forward from other programs, and I hope more positive change will come from it.
Other recommended reading:
I loved this story from the Atlantic about Lottie Dod, “the world’s first female sports superstar,” which also offers some analysis of issues that still persist in women’s sports today.
I worked with Christine Yu on this Outside piece about period tracking and athletic performance, including her first-person experience testing a few tracking apps. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, there’s still so much we don’t know about how periods affect performance, but some researchers are doing some compelling work on the subject. And if you’re curious about tracking your period as part of your training, Christine has some helpful advice.
An ode to the New York City Marathon, which was born 50 years ago in Central Park.
A case for not counting your running mileage, courtesy of Alex Hutchinson.
ICYMI: Runner’s World’s September cover story is about Alysia Montaño.
A few more lovely running comics from Edith Zimmerman!
Oiselle’s Womxn Run the Vote relay kicks off tomorrow. They’ve raised $260,000 for Black Voters Matter.
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