In episode 149, I spoke with Fiona English who posted an open letter to the Boston Marathon in January 2023 to ask them to review their deferral policy, for women like herself who earned a Boston Qualifying (BQ) entry before becoming pregnant.
The Boston marathon and the qualifying time is held in high regard globally. After running 17 marathons, through hard work and determination, she qualified running a BQ time at Paris Marathon in April 2022 running 3:27:05, after running 5:47 for her first marathon.
When this podcast was recorded, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) policy had a strict no deferral policy. However during the recording of the podcast unbeknownst to Fiona and I, the B.A.A. posted on Instagram noting they changed their policy to allow for entry deferral post pregnancy. This is thanks to everyone that spoke following the post, but more importantly the pioneers before that made this final push possible.
There’s definitely more that needs to be done, one of those things is focused on the remaining three marathon majors, to follow suit in having progressive deferral policies.
Further information on resources to create a level start line for women include:
You can follow Fiona on Instagram at @englishruns
Thank you to everyone that supports this podcast and this episode and thank you to my patreons who support the show. You can support the show by becoming a patreon at www.patreon.com/ARunnersLife
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#18 - Knox Robinson
#17 - The Runner’s Identity
#16 - Alison Désir
#15 - Race directors - How are they navigating CV19?
#14 - Liz Warner, Run to Reach - 30 Marathons before turning 30 to support NGOs that empower women
#13 - Hugh Brasher, Event Director of London Marathon Events
#12 - Aoife Cooke, Irish National Marathon Champion, 2:32:34
#11 - Karina Junker, Hollywood Actress & 18 time Marathoner and Pacer
#10 - Heidi Bye Svartangen, Ultra Runner, Entrepreneur, Mum, Healthcare Professional, Race Director
#9 - How you can run more efficiently, with Coach Mike Antoniades
#8 - Winthrope Wellington, 2:43 Marathoner
#7 - Amritpal Ghatora, 2:51 Marathoner & Six Star Finisher
#6 - Ian Morgan, Ultra Runner
#5 - How to reduce anxiety and stay socially connected during CV19 - Psychotherapist Vida Weinstein
#4 - Kieran Alger, Sub 3 Marathoner, Ultra Runner & Running Journalist
#3 - Coronavirus: Physiotherapy Q&A How to become a stronger runner Ft. Adrian D’Costa
#2 - Coronavirus: How to strengthen your mental focus for your running Ft. Duncan Foster
#1 - Coronavirus: How to run safely and stay motivated Ft. Coach John
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