My favorite memory of my first road race:
Man 1: (To buddy, right after I passed them going uphill) Dude, you just got passed by a girl.
Man 2: Yeah, well. So did you, dude.
Man 1: You think we can catch her?
They did not catch me. A fact that made me glow with pride every time I thought about that race afterward. Now, make no mistake – I’m not that fast of a runner. I usually hit in the top 30% but I have never won a race. I do pass some folks, but more often than not I’m the one getting passed. And yet, I did beat those two men that day. I think I giggled.
Part of the behind-the-scenes work for this blog is that I field a lot (a lot) of queries from PR people schilling everything from fitness books to toaster ovens to pinhole glasses. They want me to promote their product/event/insane website. The nice ones give me stuff to try out and give away to you guys. The courteous ones get my name right. But the majority of press releases I read are anonymous, hastily written, often irrelevant blog-o-mercials. They get deleted very quickly. Normally.
But this afternoon I got one that caught my eye. Despite doing everything wrong – the greeting simply read “hi”, it was obvious they had no idea what my blog was about other than generic fitness and the “promotion” was entirely self-serving – they got my attention because they had a novel concept. They were pimping the TREK Women’s Triathlon Series, in their words, “the first triathlon created by women, run by women and exclusively for women.”
My first reaction was why on earth would you want to do that? I don’t run races for men – in fact I don’t chat with anyone, regardless of their gender, when I’m racing – and yet I certainly don’t mind them being there. I’ve never had a bad experience with a man in an athletic competition of any sort. In addition to motivating me to go faster, they’ve given me directions to the biffies, talked down my nerves on the bus ride to the starting line, given me high fives and thumbs up, cheered when I crossed the finish line and offered me mole skin for a blister among other niceities. Of course women have helped me tremendously as well.
In every competition I’ve been in, it just feels like everyone there is an athlete and their gender is irrelevant. Sure, a man always gets the fastest time but that doesn’t make me feel badly about my performance. Lots of women beat me too! Men and women are built differently. Men have narrower hips, longer legs and more lung capacity, all boons when it comes to racing. Besides, the anatomical edge is ameliorated by having seperate finishing categories. My gut reaction: Women already rock traditional triathlons so why would we need a separate race?
But then I was talking to my sister on the phone this afternoon (as I do every afternoon – seriously, the only dark spot in my luminescent life is the fact that my siblings live so far away from me!) and her take was the polar opposite. “I can totally see why women would want a women’s-only triathlon,” she exclaimed.
“But don’t you think it’s patronizing? I mean it’s a Sprint Tri distance (1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run) and yet instead of calling it a Sprint Tri, they call it a ‘women’s tri’? As if women could only be expected to do the shortest competition distance?”
“You’re being too sensitive,” she said in her best mommy voice. (Side note: when did she get old enough to have a mommy voice and when did I get old enough to recognize it?) “Lots of women are intimidated by triathlons. The distance and the lack of men is just supposed to overcome that hurdle – to get women competing who wouldn’t otherwise try it. “
“Hmph.”
“Besides, it’s all girl power. And I’m all about women banding together. I mean, that’s the whole appeal of Curves, right?”
So now I’m asking you guys: Is there an advantage to separating the sexes in athletic competitions such as road races and triathlons? Would you be more likely to compete in an event that was only open to people of your gender? What if someone started advertising a Men’s Only Tri? Have you ever had a bad experience with someone of the opposite gender in a race? Do you run faster in a mixed-gender setting? Do you feel like I’ve suddenly sprung a pop quiz on you and now your palms are sweaty and your mind is blank? I have that effect on people…
Great photos how did you know I needed to laugh thanks
the pic rocks!
I was at the gym today and again (second time this year) there were two guys working out who staring/glaring at me (overweight female). The reason [I think] was because I wasn’t in the “typical” girl area and now they had to go a bench over to do there one-set-every-ten-minutes bicep curls (yes I was there first and there is no reason I couldn’t be there).
I am a pretty strong-headed person but those couple times made me feel really uncomfortable and it was a bit upsetting.
I also see guys openly leering at women which might make them uncomfortable.
Being upset does not help with motivation. I have to try and ignore that and just keep going.
A person who not as pig-headed as me would probably give up.
So yes, I would compete in a gender specific race.
I would also compete in gender specific races. We have some Ladies’ Races here in South Africa. I’ve just started pre-training for a sprint-triathlon, and it would have been nice if there was one for ladies on the calendar…
I have competed/ run in mixed and women-only road races and have enjoyed both but in different ways. The mixed races have been more about my own personal achievement but the women-only ones have had an amazingly supportive atmosphere, a much greater sense of collective achievement as well as personal. Here in the UK we have a series of women-only 5ks to raise money for cancer research and in Glasgow we have the UK’s biggest women’s 10k, which is great fun. These events tend to be huge with lots of fun runners as well as more serious athletes which obviously affects the atmosphere. However I have also run in a much smaller women’s only 10 miler (less than 500 entrants) and that too had a different feel to it than the the mixed 10ks and 1/2s I have done. So i think that for a lot of women this collective support could be the extra thing they need to encourage them to enter and then hopefully they will enter whatever takes their fancy, regardless of who is competing.
I also know of several men-only races, normally associated with men’s health issues.
On a completely trivial note, the women-only races have been far more fragrant- as everyone warms up there is a lovely waft of washing powder and ‘clean’ smells…!
And, Hi! I think this is my first comment! Sorry for the mini essay…
I thought, when I received the email, GO WOMEN POWER!
For some reason even though I cant imagine my competing in a TRI the camaraderie of all women mad the concept much more alluring.
I’ve never done a women’s only event, but I can undestand the appeal, especially for a tri. Of course, I would call it a Women’s Sprint Tri, not just a women’s tri, but I suppose I’m too sensetive there too.
Some gals really do get extra nervous around men. When it comes to all that’s involved in transitions and the 3 sports, I bet there are quite a few women that would feel more comfortable and be more likely to compete in a women’s only event. Especially the first time.
my first sprint tri was womens-only, and it was amazing. i think it was the sheer amount of support, betw other competitors and people that came out to cheer. i happy with the sprint distance, but i’d never do a women’s only run…
My first reaction is similar to yours. However, my mom is VERY new to the world of fitness, and I know that she would never have started going to the gym if it weren’t women only.
I guess I have to agree with your sister… this sort of thing is what opens up a new sport to women who would otherwise be intimidated, which is in the sort of thing I have to get behind.
I can't swim, so am unlikely to be signing up for any triathlons, but I can see the appeal of the TREK series for a first time Tri. Your sister's right (sorry) – it is an intimidating thing.
There's a women's only 5k each spring here, and it is quite a fun event. The lead pack is just as competitive as you'd expect to see at a co-ed event, but they get cheers from the rest of the ladies when they pass on the way back to the finish. And at the finish area, a lot of the faster runners are hanging out to applaud the later finishers.
Everybody gets a carnation in the chutes, and the race shirt is one I actually wear.
BTW, thanks for reminding me – I need to get signed up for this year's Women's 5k. My daughter & I are running together. (She's really excited about it. As she told her older brother, no stinky boys allowed.)
I’ve only done co-ed races, including tri’s, and never gave it a thought. We had a state race, called the “Tin Man.” which was a sprint tri 🙂
I think having more options can only be a good thing!
You’re not fast? Top 30%?? I get passed by arthritic dogs moseying home for the day.
I don’t know how I feel about this, I think the women’s only thing is a nice idea, but I think both genders are equally motivating.
Well, on the one hand, I’d TOTALLY compete in an all-women’s event. Unless they did something stupid and patronizing, like making it a Sprint Tri and calling it a Women’s Tri. But if it were either full-length or if they straight-up called it a Sprint Tri? I’d be in.
Um. If I actually DID triathalons, that is. 😉
(Not to get sidetracked, but it kind of reminds me of when some women out here in CA filed a lawsuit against the fire department because they couldn’t pass the physical tests. I remember one of the tests being something like, “Carry a 250-pound dummy out of an upper-story building and down the fire ladder unassisted.” The women posited that because women are naturally weaker in their upper bodies, they should have lower weight limits. I remember thinking, um, NO. Train harder if you want to be a fireperson then. Because if I’m stuck up there in a burning building, I don’t want to hang out while you go find someone who CAN get me out. Geez. (They lost the lawsuit, FWIW.)).
I’m not sure I would do something like that, mainly because I think I’d want BK to help me train/run it with me. As it would be my first tri.
But I can see the merit in having womens-only.
The first tri I ever did was all women. the reason I liked it wasn’t the women thing, it was the way it was a “try a tri” and there was no timing and everything was very friendly (and honestly, I knew I’d be able to beat people!). The women’s only things I think aren’t good because it’s only women, I think they’re good because the type of women who do these things are the non-judging, perhaps self conscious people who happen to be women. If the thing was full of olympic athlete women and say supermodels, I don’t think I’d want to join it.
When you said the men only thing, well that’s interesting! I think that if there are women only things, there should be men only things. But I know if something was men only, some women would get up in arms about it and cry sexist and then you’d have some lone woman try and join it and get kicked out and then take them to court and then go back in it and then make a movie about it. Grr!
Interesting topic. I remember reading once… long time ago… a study that had convincing evidence to suggest that women do better in a women-only academic environment. I don’t think this applied to men as well. The author theorized that women were too intimidated to speak up in a class that had men in it — didn’t want to look too braniac? and so didn’t fully participate.
I’m not sure if an exercise event is analogous. Need more caffeine. Brain not fully in gear. (Besides, Men might read this! Ack!)
wow, I’m torn. I don’t think there needs to be separate races – men and women ARE equals after all. But I see your sister’s point, that running in an all-female race could be so empowering. I guess as long as men and women aren’t ALWAYS split and these are just options, it works for me.
The RCMP has separate goals for what women and men should be able to do in training- for something like pull ups, I can see where they’re coming from. For something like running? No. Men and women can both run pretty well the same.
Having men there would probably give me an incentive to work myself harder because I’d want to match them! But I think your sister has a point that many women would find it less intimidating. My boot camp class was women-only and I’m not sure how it would have impacted me differently if men were involved… now I’m interested!
I’ve never competed in a triathalon, and although I consider myself pretty feminist for my generation, the allure of an all women’s event may be the only way to get me to compete. I think one day, as part of my fitness goals, I would like to complete a triathalon. But having been extremely overweight in the past, I know what its like to have men stare and gawk and point and whisper because you are “too large to be doing that” and I now know what it is like to have men stare and gawk because you look like a healthy, fit female. The staring has not ended, give or take ninety pounds lost.
My first triathlon was a women’s only tri, and it was great. Incredibly supportive, from the emails to the pre-race meetings, to the morning of, to the post-race events. MUCH more courtesy than the coed tri I did a week later. It was a great way to (literally) get my feet wet in the sport without the intimidation factor.
I agree with the commenter who noted the sense of collective achievment during a women’s only event. It’s really moving stuff!
I’ll be doing many more coed races in the years to come (God willing!), but I’ll always do this women’s only sprint race every year, to remind myself of where I started, and because it’s just so NICE!
By the way, besides Trek, there’s the Danskin women’s only series, the IronGirl women’s only series, and the SheRox women’s only series. (My first was a SheRox.)
Michelle D, I’m with you! I’ve lost over 100 lbs, and I have jiggly bits that I’m paranoid about. During women’s only events, no one cares! Everyone’s jigglin’! 🙂 So, go for it!!
I only do all-female races when it fits in my schedule better than the male/ female ones. And, sometimes, they are less crowded.
But, honestly, I don’t get the appeal of all-female events. I mean, maybe if I wanted to WIN an event I would pick an all-female one. But, I’m of average speed, and I’m going to be middle of the pack anyway. Do I care if I’m staring at female butts or male butts going past me? Not really.
Running races is a total rush, and I love just running with all of humanity — old folks, young folks, folks dressed as lighthouses, men, women, babies in strollers — whatever. I love it.
I don’t get the appeal of Curves gyms .. maybe if I was of a different generation or southern I would get it — but I like showing off my strength. And, working out with guys always makes me work harder.
I’ve always thought about doing a TRI. I love the shorter distances but the word SPRINT has me scared all over again. I’m so NOT fast!!!No matter the genders racing, some women (like me) fear these big races while secretly dreaming of them and could use all the help they can get just working up the nerve to sign up. Hard bodied chicks intimidate me just as much as the dudes.
Love the pictures. I’ll get back to you after my first 5k later this month (eep, is it really a week and a half away?), but I really think it doesn’t matter to me. I think I’d get a kick out of passing a dude in a race too, I dunno if I want that taken away from me…then again I don’t see any problem having both types of races (or hell, all 3, if we can have women only why not give men some men only).
I’ve done women’s only races and co-ed (mainly co-ed) and for many of these women this is their first experience in a multisport atmosphere (and sometimes their first experience with sports and exercise) and somehow knowing that it is all women encourages them to try. After all, we are essentially running around out there in our bathing suits, and if you have any sort of body issues – you want to be in a womens only enviroment. I’ve worked with Sally Edwards before (when she was affiliated with Danskin) and she is am amazing woman who is all about promoting healthy living and postive body images.
The women’s only races also tend to raise money for cancer research, which I think motivates alot of first timers to get out there. And hopefully once they begin being healthy again, they keep it up.
I’ve never had a problem with a male racer. I’ve also never done a women-only event… but I can see how it would encourage new-comers to try it out. Personally it wouldn’t matter because I usually finish in the er, latter half, but for someone new, trying it out with only their peers could be encouraging.
I agree with what Never Say Diet says: at first I though “What? No way! We don’t need separate races!”
But then I think of the time I joined a women-only gym, and how comfortable I felt there. Or the womens’ self-defense class I took after taking a mixed class with a guy who kept trash-talking all the women. (The other guys were great, he was just the bad apple.) Not having done many races myself, I don’t really know what the atmosphere is like, but there will always be people who take themselves too seriously and denigrate anyone of a different skill level.
Last year I did a charity bike ride. There were 10, 50, and 100 mile rides. (I did the 10.) There were a few snickers and rude remarks at the starting line as the other riders passed our 10-mile group, but, for the most part, we were all there for the cause.
(According to my SIL, there are also “serious” marathoners who complain about the runners pushing kids in their strollers during races. Men and women. Like I said, bad apples.)
So, as long as there are options, I think it can be a good thing to have a women-only event.
(Sorry for YET Another long post!)
The benefit of a triathlon being gender specific would be that it would be less embarrassing to change into and out of wet clothing in public/semi-public. Not a big enough issue for me to do a women’s only tri.
I have been angered and embarrassed by men many times over the years while running, but NEVER EVER by a male runner. It is always some drive-by guy.
Charlotte: your mention of receiving courtesies from men at races reminds me of a 5k I ran in the 1990’s while in my 1st trimester of pregnancy. I got a sudden attack of morning sickness very near the finish line and barely made it to the curb out of everyone’s way. I had a Rachel-esque haircut and thus a lot of hair had escaped from my ponytail. A man stopped and very matter-of-factly made a swooping “headband” out of his hands to keep my many stray hairs from falling into my face while I was being sick. As soon as I straightened back up he said one single word “Ok?” and off he went.
I’m doing my first tri 1 March — a sprint-distance “bloke-free” triathlon. It’s supposed to be a lot of fun. I don’t know that I’d have signed up for a regular one — not that I mind racing with men, I’ve done both co-ed runs and swims. But the bloke-free markets to first-timers, so I thought I’d give it a go. So far I’ve had a great time training. The shorter distances mean that the training is manageable, and I haven’t had to scale back my weightlifting. By the way, for the poster worried about “sprinting,” for most of us “sprint” triathlon is a euphemism for “short” triathlon. I for one am not going to be sprinting!
Personally, I’m not interested in seeking out women-only events. That said, the running club I used to belong to had a woman’s training program that culminated in a women-only 5k race, and it was tremendously popular. I think that anything that can be done to make exercise seem less intimidating to newcomers is a good idea. And I think a lot of women are afraid of being thought of as slow and weak by men. So while I’m not that crazy about a female-only race, I do think they are a good option for some people.
Men will always run faster than women, but we seem to do better at the longer distances. I don’t think there is a need to separate the sexes, but honestly, if a girl wants to win first place overall, then a women’s only race is probably her best bet.
I think women only sporting competitions are a great idea. It gets more women competing. A women’s only weightlifting meet was recently held. 48 women showed up with over half never having competed before. Now they feel comfy enough to compete at another event which includes men. (And they had to lift in form-fitting suits!)
http://www.badgirlopen.com/
Here’s some video from the meet:
http://www.justin.tv/clip/18eed0f46fdbb78d
Best, cb57
i’ve done a female-only tri the past two years (the tri for the cure). a friend talked me into it the first year and i did it the second year just because i was familiar with the race.
that being said, i understand the concept of women’s only triathlons. HOWEVER, i don’t see why there couldn’t be a men’s only triathlon … despite the fact that people would say it’s sexist and unfair and blahblahblah.
my view? i think that if there are going to be women’s only tris, why *can’t* there be men’s only tris as well? it’s fair that way.
that being said, i’m looking forward to the coed tri i’m doing this year.
now that i’ve read some of the other comments, i’m curious.
i understand the allure of wanting to do a women’s only tri/event just because it as a more welcoming and open atmosphere. and yeah, i *get* the thing with not feeling comfortable in a bathing suit in front of guys.
but … on the other hand … hasn’t it been said time and time again that women work out/look good for other women, not men? so, technically, shouldn’t there be body issues with competing in a women’s only event as well given the snarkiness and cattiness?
just a thought. it’s late and i should probably sleep instead of ponder such crap.
My first tri was an all women’s event. I picked that tri not because it was all women, but because the proceeds went to support breast cancer.
Having competed in co-ed tris as well, I can tell you that the atmosphere is really different. I don’t know if it’s because of the “co-ed” ness or if it’s because the women’s only tri also had breast cancer survivors, but the co-ed race definitely felt more competetive. The women’s only tri was more hugs and feelings and supporting each other.
I guess you missed the point. The event is not patronizing to women; it's sexist towards men. That's why you shouldn't support it… because of all of the positive experiences you've had racing with men, for the dignity men provide and deserve.
And to the woman who lamented men "leering" at her, give me a break. If you only knew the unauthorized touching I have to endure from women, not to mention the bogus conversation. If a man did that …
Women’s -only triathlons are WRONG. What would happen if someone organized a Whites-only triathlon?