logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
36m 18s

Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke t...

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

Until the 1960s, it was deemed too "dangerous" for women athletes to run distances longer than 200m - and a marathon would kill them, or leave them unable to have children. Rubbish, of course. But when Kathrine Switzer signed up for the 1967 Boston Marathon, it wasn't the distance that bothered her - it was the enraged race director trying to assault her.   

Thanks to pioneers like Kathrine, women have made huge strides in long distance running - and are now challenging the times of men in the very races they were banned from for so very long.  

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

Check out more Olympics related content from Pushkin Industries and iHeartPodcasts here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
Schrödinger's Spy: Businessman, Fraud, or Russian Agent? - with Sam Jones
When the Financial Times uncovered the billion-dollar Wirecard fraud, it seemed like the story was over. But then the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Jan Marsalek, vanished - leaving behind clues that pointed to a double life as a secret agent. In his new podcast Hot Money: Ag ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 3
Missing Fish and Fatal Feasts: Ritual and Ruin at the Sun King’s Table
In the gilded court of Louis XIV, 17th Century France, manners are everything. Where to sit, how to eat, what to wear - any misstep is costly. No one knows this better than François Vatel, the greatest party planner in all of France. Tonight, Vatel must deliver the ultimate banqu ... Show More
42m 18s
Sep 26
Don't Panic! Douglas Adams' Guide to Tomorrow - with Arvind Ethan David
Writer Douglas Adams, best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, used science fiction and satire to warn us about potential dangers in our future, from artificial intelligence to social media and animal extinction. In this Cautionary Conversation, Tim is joined by Arvin ... Show More
37m 54s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Pourquoi le marathon des Jeux Olympiques de 1904 est-il entré dans l'Histoire ?
Le marathon des Jeux olympiques de Saint-Louis en 1904 est sans doute l’un des événements les plus désastreux et rocambolesques de toute l’histoire olympique. Prévu comme un moment de gloire sportive, il tourna en une épreuve d’endurance surréaliste, marquée par des conditions ex ... Show More
2m 18s
Sep 2020
Carla Molinaro - Breaking the women's record for Land's End to John O'Groats, running the length of Britain in just 12 days, 30 minutes and 14 seconds!
Carla in her own words:   I am an elite ultra runner, running coach and adventurer who seeks out events that are slightly harder than the average. I love pushing my body to the limits by running a long way, up mountains, around islands and recently running the length of Great Bri ... Show More
49m 4s
Jul 2024
Pushkin Goes to the Olympics
Legends are made at the Olympics and this summer shows across the Pushkin network are bringing their unique takes to Olympic stories. This special episode includes excerpts from a few: a Cautionary Tale about underestimating female marathoners, a Jesse Owens story from Revisionis ... Show More
38m 40s
Mar 2025
The 6-Day Race
For a brief window in the late 1800s, America’s favorite sport was walking in circles over and over and over. The biggest sporting events in the country were “6 Day Races” – days-long tests of endurance where competitive walkers competed to see who could log the most miles. Check ... Show More
14m 54s
May 2021
Jessi Morton-Langehaug - High school chemistry teacher, mother, and ultra runner - women’s winner of Moab 240!
Jessi (Jessilynn) was born in a small town in Southern Alberta Canada. She grew up on a ranch and has always loved being in the mountains. She moved around quite a bit as a child and is now living in Sandy, UT, USA.    Jessi started competing in cross country in high school but s ... Show More
55m 53s
Jul 2024
Athletes: Wyomia Tyus
Wyomia Tyus (1945 - present) is an Olympic athlete who became the first person to win gold in back to back Olympic games. During the 1968 Olympic games, she joined the Olympic Project for Human Rights and protested against global racial inequality along with other Black athletes. ... Show More
6m 45s
Nov 2024
Ep.137 The NYC Marathon
You might not have realized this but the New York City Marathon is considered and pretty much treated like a holiday around here. The race happened this past Sunday and Alia decided to make a whole day out of the event, so here we are discussing the beauty of watching runners fro ... Show More
31 m
Aug 29
“Self-care isn’t selfish!” How to keep fit and have fun
Fearne’s been loving the UEFA Women’s EUROS, so this episode celebrates the huge summer of sport we’re having by listening back to some brilliant sportspeople who’ve told their stories on Happy Place. Plus, if you’ve been inspired to move your own body more, how can you set your ... Show More
44m 43s
Sep 15
Patricia Lockwood, SEND rally, Maternity review, Kathrine Switzer
Patricia Lockwood is a poet, memoirist and novelist whose work straddles the literary world and the wilds of the internet. Patricia first went viral with her traumatic poem Rape Joke, while her memoir Priestdaddy, about being the daughter of a Catholic priest, has been called a m ... Show More
57m 40s