“How fast can you run a mile?”. That question changed my life. Valerie Rogosheske. In 1969, the American was about to finish his Physical Education degree at St. Cloud State College when a friend asked his question. Surprisingly, he went to a running track on the clock, but he was shocked to see that he could not complete that distance. So he decided to start training to change that fact and a few years later he made history. Since 1972 the boston marathon admitted for the first time the official participation of women and she was one in eight disputed that edition of the quizthe most myth of Six Majors of specialty.

On the 50th anniversary of that unprecedented event, the Rogosheske, from 75 years, will run again this Monday in the most traditional 42,195 kilometers of athletics, albeit in a different context from his first participation. since this year there will be 14 thousand women who will start the exam. Val will be part of a women’s honor group, along with seven other women who have left their mark in a variety of fields, from sports to human rights. And he will also run with his daughters Abigail and Allie.

“A lot has changed in 50 years. In 1972 there were a total of 1,200 runners. And out of eight women we became 14 thousand -he commented-. Having my daughters here with me is special and very enjoyable. When I was young I loved sports, but I thought women couldn’t compete. They had the opportunity to play sports at school and at university. And more and more doors are opening. It’s really exciting to see how the next generation is encouraged to be active and strong. ”

Rogosheske will be just one of those “Boston Eight” –Nina Kuscic, katherine switzer, elaine petersen, Ginny Collins, Pat Barrett, Frances Morrison Y Sarah Mae Berman is the rest – which will start the race this Monday. His presence changed the former and gave him the opportunity to remember in detail how he came to that edition half a century ago.

“I was really embarrassed when I realized I couldn’t run a whole mile. So I got a book called ‘Jogging ‘I read it and started running a few times a week. Sometimes I have a hard time getting out the door, so Phil (NdR: His wife, a unique athlete and Olympic rower) he told me: ‘All you need is a goal’“he counted.

“It was 1971. We live in Virginia and the only race I heard of was the Boston Marathon. But I read about women hid in the bushes and then ran, because they could not make it official. And I think: ‘That looks like a good thing’. Perhaps my activism is already alive. So I started doing more miles and really preparing for a marathon, ”Valerie said.

Rogosheske planned to follow the same approach: hide until he heard the starting gun and then join the men. That’s what he did in 1966 Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to unofficially run that marathon. And a year later, the same Switzer became famous, whose image was fighting with officers who tried to remove him from the circuit when discovered.

But Val she doesn’t have to duck: two weeks before the race, the Boston Athletic Association officially opened registration for women. And he was one of eight who signed up.

“When they officially welcomed us, I was a bit disappointed. I was so focused on being that woman who hides in the bushes and runs,” she said.

She admitted: “Women like Nina and Kathrine have been working for it for years. I just showed up and took advantage of it. For a while I felt a little embarrassed, but now I accept it. We need those activists to create more opportunities, but we also need to show people. ”

Her preparation was not perfect: after her wedding in December, she spent a month with mononucleosis and was unable to train. But still, at 25 years old and numbered F7, he was able to complete the distance and finished sixth out of eight competitors, with a time of 4h29m32. The victory went to Kuscik, with 3h10m26.

“I ended it feeling like I could have done better,” said Rogosheske, who ran again at the event in 1973 and 1974, when he set his best time: 3h09m38.

He was also there on the 25th anniversary of his first involvement, but left midway through a knee problem. Now in 2022, his goal is to cross the finish line. And like he did 50 years ago, when he first set up this marathon, he was determined to do it.

The oldest marathon goes back to its previous date

About 30,000 runners will begin this Monday in the 126th edition of the Boston Marathon, the oldest in the world, which will return to its previous date after three years, after a coronavirus pandemic forced the test to cancel in 2020 and move to the Northern fall. Hemisphere last year (held on October 11).

Beyond the special participation of Valerie Rogosheske, some of the best marathoners in the world will perform on the streets of that Massachusetts city.

In the female category, the loser is the Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir, current champion in Boston, Olympic gold in Tokyo and winner in November in New York. Other prominent figures among women will be Joyciline JepkosgeiKenyan winner in London 2021, and the Ethiopian edna kiplagat42, champion in 2017 and Jepchirchir’s escort last year.

Of the men, the great candidate is the Kenyan Benson Kipruto, champion in Boston six months ago with a mark of 2h09m51. Although the title defender will not lack rivals.

Because his countrymen are also on the starting line Albert Korirwinner last year in New York, and Evans Chebetwhich two years ago sealed the best time of 2020, with 2h03 in Valencia, and which has not dropped from third place in this distance since 2017. And the Ethiopians Birhanu Legesedouble winner of the Tokyo Marathon, and Sisay Lemmachampion in London 2021.

The event, which joined New York, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo on the list Six Majorsis held within the framework of the festivities of day of the patriotsas has been the tradition since its first edition, in 1897. It will be distributed 706 thousand dollars of prizes. The winners will get 150 thousand each.

The first categories will start at 9:02 local time (10:02 in Argentina), while the male professional will start at 10:37 in our country and the female, eight minutes later. The tour has a starting point in the heart of the city Hopkinton and ends in Boylston St.in the heart of Boston, around that city’s impressive Public Library, one of the largest in the United States.

HS