On being fearless
I have the great privilege of being involved with the 261 Fearless organisation. It's a global network of women, united together to find their own strength and fearlessness through running. It is comprised of womens running clubs in the US, UK, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Albania, and New Zealand.
It all began with Kathrine Switzer, a woman who came to be a pioneer of womens running, wore as the first official female entrant into the Boston Marathon in 1967. Back then, it was a mens only event, women were not allowed to enter as they were considered too delicate for the long distance.
Because Kathrine entered under her initials, K.V. Switzer, and due to the cold conditions was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and track pants, it wasn't until a couple of miles into the race that she was spotted. A woman, in a mens race! The race director tried to forcibly remove her from the course, but he was stopped by her then boyfriend at the time. Upset and angry, she continued to finish the race.
261 was her bib number that day. The top right corner of the bib was torn in the attempt to have her removed from the course. 261 Fearless was formed in 2015 to unite women under this number; the 261 Fearless logo includes this ripped portion, symbolic of that day.
I am privileged to now be a 261 Fearless coach, trained to lead, encourage and support women on their running journeys, no matter what level they join. Our running clubs offer a safe, non-competitive and non-judgemental environment for women to learn to run. We started as a team of five, with clubs in Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch, with more trainers to be added to the ranks soon. It's exciting to see the spread of 261 Fearless in New Zealand.
So, what does being 'fearless' mean to me?
Being fearless is not necessarily that you don't have any fears. It means that you have the courage and tenacity to not let those fears become obstacles that hold you back in life. Basically, to adopt the philosophy to 'feel the fear and do it anyway'.
Fears can be of any nature; they may be of failure, judgement, rejection. They might appear as some of the thoughts below (all of which I have experienced).
"What if I'm not good at it?"
"What if I fail?"
"What if they don't like me?"
These thoughts could easily hold me back from taking any risks in my life, and is still a work in progress for me. I am a born perfectionist and the fear of failure is probably the most prominent one for me. I also care a lot about doing things 'well' and what people think of me. In the past, I know I have held back from doing things I want to do, because of these fears.
I have grown a lot as a person since becoming involved with 261 Fearless. Naturally quite shy, I am not one to draw attention to myself if I don't have to. Before, the very thought of 'leading' a group of women would have had my stomach in knots. I have a huge passion for sharing my love of running, fitness and strength with other women, and this passion thankfully trumps any fears I have about I have about feeling "not good enough" at the role. I've also learned that because the group is not about Me, there is no failure in it. It's not about how many women turn up each week, or how fast or far they can run. It's about supporting each woman to be the best they can be.
The women that join our 261 Fearless clubs each week, come with their own set of fears, insecurities, worries. Our aim is to provide an environment where they can come along, be with friends, be themselves, and find strength through running.
One of our regulars wasn't a runner before our 261 Fearless club started. She can now comfortably run 5-6km on her own, and does so several times a week. She also entered her 5km running event, a couple of months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
She told me recently that she was at a conference and making small talk with other attendees. The words "I am a runner" came out of her mouth for the very first time. She shared how empowered and strong those words made her feel. I will never forget that conversation and will continue to be inspired and motivated by her words in my own running life.
Every week, the women thank me for what I do. But I am just as thankful for what they do for me. They remind me that being fearless, for having courage to be who I want to be, can be life-changing.
It all began with Kathrine Switzer, a woman who came to be a pioneer of womens running, wore as the first official female entrant into the Boston Marathon in 1967. Back then, it was a mens only event, women were not allowed to enter as they were considered too delicate for the long distance.
Because Kathrine entered under her initials, K.V. Switzer, and due to the cold conditions was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and track pants, it wasn't until a couple of miles into the race that she was spotted. A woman, in a mens race! The race director tried to forcibly remove her from the course, but he was stopped by her then boyfriend at the time. Upset and angry, she continued to finish the race.
261 was her bib number that day. The top right corner of the bib was torn in the attempt to have her removed from the course. 261 Fearless was formed in 2015 to unite women under this number; the 261 Fearless logo includes this ripped portion, symbolic of that day.
I am privileged to now be a 261 Fearless coach, trained to lead, encourage and support women on their running journeys, no matter what level they join. Our running clubs offer a safe, non-competitive and non-judgemental environment for women to learn to run. We started as a team of five, with clubs in Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch, with more trainers to be added to the ranks soon. It's exciting to see the spread of 261 Fearless in New Zealand.
 |
| 261 Fearless NZ coaches, freshly trained in December 2017, pictured with Kathrine Switzer & Edith Zuschmann (master trainer & CEO of 261 Fearless) |
So, what does being 'fearless' mean to me?
Being fearless is not necessarily that you don't have any fears. It means that you have the courage and tenacity to not let those fears become obstacles that hold you back in life. Basically, to adopt the philosophy to 'feel the fear and do it anyway'.
Fears can be of any nature; they may be of failure, judgement, rejection. They might appear as some of the thoughts below (all of which I have experienced).
"What if I'm not good at it?"
"What if I fail?"
"What if they don't like me?"
These thoughts could easily hold me back from taking any risks in my life, and is still a work in progress for me. I am a born perfectionist and the fear of failure is probably the most prominent one for me. I also care a lot about doing things 'well' and what people think of me. In the past, I know I have held back from doing things I want to do, because of these fears.
I have grown a lot as a person since becoming involved with 261 Fearless. Naturally quite shy, I am not one to draw attention to myself if I don't have to. Before, the very thought of 'leading' a group of women would have had my stomach in knots. I have a huge passion for sharing my love of running, fitness and strength with other women, and this passion thankfully trumps any fears I have about I have about feeling "not good enough" at the role. I've also learned that because the group is not about Me, there is no failure in it. It's not about how many women turn up each week, or how fast or far they can run. It's about supporting each woman to be the best they can be.
The women that join our 261 Fearless clubs each week, come with their own set of fears, insecurities, worries. Our aim is to provide an environment where they can come along, be with friends, be themselves, and find strength through running.
One of our regulars wasn't a runner before our 261 Fearless club started. She can now comfortably run 5-6km on her own, and does so several times a week. She also entered her 5km running event, a couple of months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
She told me recently that she was at a conference and making small talk with other attendees. The words "I am a runner" came out of her mouth for the very first time. She shared how empowered and strong those words made her feel. I will never forget that conversation and will continue to be inspired and motivated by her words in my own running life.
Every week, the women thank me for what I do. But I am just as thankful for what they do for me. They remind me that being fearless, for having courage to be who I want to be, can be life-changing.
 |
| A Wednesday morning well spent. |
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