A Boston Marathon First: Bobbi Gibb On Her History-Making Run 

There's no reason to demonise men. We know that there are supportive ones out there. It's the ones who do barbaric things who have to be talked about when women's lives are at risk - to teach everyone, not just men and boys, where that warped mentality comes from. I realise that it might seem as if we like to concentrate on those events, but personally, as a girl who has had to deal with patriarchal beliefs and standards, it's infuriating when ONE more thing seems to be in jeopardy for us, whereas boys and men are free to keep doing it. I'm talking about running, here. In the not so distant past there has been an influx of crime against female runners/joggers. It was terrifying for all of us and probably kept a good number of girls and women from running for a while. On top of that, suggestions of carrying all manner of gadgets, running with a human-someone or a non-human-someone, etc. it was disheartening that we needed to take extra-precautions because we were the more vulnerable sex. What's just as frustrating is that a lot of us run, not for exercise, but for competition - so how do we rationalise carrying around all that gadgetry when we want to run fast? Our teammates are busy people and aren't always available nor is every casual runner keen on a not so casual pace. Should I as a runner with more competitive aspirations just give up based on the fact that there are men out there who want to do bodily harm to anyone whose female, and other men who just don't understand what the big deal is of being forced to run on a treadmill? I hope you can understand why female runners and joggers and walkers would find this as a limitation on their freedoms dictated by any man who wants to cause harm. That's why we need supportive men - not just ones we know, but anyone who doesn't have some ulterior motive - to engage in discussion and also to serve as positive role models for boys and girls and men and women because it's really important for all of us to be able to share the road safely (in more ways than one)!.

oh hey i know you

She jumped into the middle of the pack at the beginning of the race, hoping to avoid detection.