Who was this sitting next to me, I wondered. She had a big smile, yet a tearful demeanor. She was wearing what I assumed was traditional African attire: a black dress with beads woven along the waistline and a majestic web of red latticework beads around her neck. Her hair was pulled back. And around her forehead, she wore a yellow, red and black beaded headband.
Was she from Kenya? As children, Kenyans run long distances to and from school, all while living and training at high altitudes. Unsurprisingly, some of the best go on to become legendary runners.
My wife, Lulu, invited me to the K.V. Switzer Award Ceremony and fundraising brunch hosted by 261 Fearless, a women’s running non-profit, at the New York Athletic Club the day before Lulu was to run the NYC marathon. (Lulu and I have raised money for 261 Fearless for the last two years.) We were seated at table 7 and as soon as the speakers walked on stage, I noticed this Kenyan woman just to my left at the next table over. I could have touched her with my elbow she was sitting that close.
When the awards ceremony started, she began taking photos with her iPhone of every speaker, every video, as if she were documenting the event for someone that could not attend.
Perhaps she is an award winner, I wondered.
The K.V. Switzer Pioneer Award nominees were named, and Olympian medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee graciously accepted her award virtually on Zoom. Next,
And finally, when the nominees for the K.V. Switzer Global Connector Award were read aloud, I saw the Kenyan’s picture in the program. And then…she won! Standing up, she walked to the stage. In introducing her, Katherine Switzer described how, as a child and adolescent, the Kenyan’s father told her that she was “useless” for being too short and skinny. (She is 5’1”.)
In her acceptance speech, she described overcoming many obstacles during her lifetime, including three days before running the NYC Marathon, her sister died, leaving six children behind. She said to herself, “I have to win this race…for them. I need that prize money!”
In 1994, Tegla Loroupe was invited to run the New York City Marathon. She won and became the first African woman to win the NYC Marathon. She ran the following year and won yet again. Today, she runs the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation brings peace to conflict zones through the power of sport. You can read about her inspirational life story along with all of the numerous races that she has won on her Wikipedia page.
For further inspiration, I recommend reading the origin story of 261 Fearless and how bib #261, worn by Kathrine Switzer, at the 1967 Boston Marathon led to the founding of the non-profit that hosted this event.
