Opinion – Na Corrida: Being a woman and a runner is an act of courage

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Today’s text is not by Rodrigo Flores. At his invitation, I came to share personal and collective experiences about what it’s like to be a woman and a runner. Well, nice to meet you. Danubia Paradise.

I advance that I didn’t want to be the one to bring some uncomfortable truths, but I believe that sharing these reflections is also a way to recognize the resilience of many women. With me, this journey started almost 10 years ago, in a race organized by a large fast food chain.

It was an event only for women, and even though I was very overweight, feeling inadequate for not having an athletic body, I decided to try this story of running. I went at the invitation of a dear friend, Camila, who always inspired me to escape the obvious. She was right. I returned home with the certainty that from then on, regardless of aesthetic standards, I would always be on the move. I just had no idea what it would take to keep running.

Even before the daily fuu-fiu on the streets, the unfriendly relationship between running and women is not new. Like the vote, divorce or credit card, the race, especially marathons, was also conquered on the basis of resistance. Kathrine Switzer to say so. In 1967, the then 20-year-old college student had to abbreviate her name to impersonate a man in the Boston Marathon registration (USA). Despite the horror of being pushed and cursed by the race director, Kath went down in history as the first woman to “officially” race in Boston.

The reasons for banning her or any other woman from participating in marathons in the 1960s reflected the machismo that continues to this day. At the time, it was believed that women were not capable of running long distances. More than 50 years later, children still learn that being slow is running like a girl.

As a result of a series of constraints, lack of incentive and representation, the longer the race, the more masculine the audience. There are very few women running marathons. Those who can be faster, regardless of distance, also need to apologize for hurting the fragile masculinity of some. I’ve been through that. I’m far from having exceptional times, but I’m very proud of my achievements, especially the five podiums I’ve already climbed. And on all those occasions, EVERYONE, I’ve had to deal with some runner with wounded pride. Men, please. save yourselves. spare us. Welcome, recognize, support women.

We are tired of having to schedule each workout, mentally going over the route, the schedule, the clothes, absolutely everything to avoid risks, looks and harassment disguised as “compliments”. “Bitch” and “bad food” are some of the abuses I’ve been collecting. And I will continue to listen because I chose not to shut up – nor to stop running.

Running quietly is a privilege I don’t know about. There isn’t a day that I leave the house without feeling scared. In fact, I do have days of peace. On weekends, when I run with my husband. This is where everyday cowardice becomes evident. Who does not have a father, brother, husband or friend, do what? Don’t train?

For many years I lived in Capão Redondo, a peripheral neighborhood in the south of São Paulo. With no park options close by to train, I did long workouts leaving home to go to Morumbi Stadium. It was always a very lonely race, very rare to cross with another woman. Not to mention the rough terrain. You literally had to run on the street because the quality of the sidewalks was disastrous.

I draw attention to this point because on the outskirts there are practically no suitable places for any kind of physical exercise. Combined with other challenges such as violence, money or time to take a bus to a park, women, especially single mothers, are doomed not to leave the house.

Being a runner is an act of courage, but many of us are tired of so much courage. Of persistence, of resistance, not just physical, but political and social. Every day, I, – we – women, choose to own our rights, our body, our time, our history, despite so many “no’s”. Courage is essential, but what we really want is more acceptance.

DANUBIA PARAIZO is a journalist and marathon runner.

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