Posts Tagged ‘best races for women’

Friday Five: Best Races for Women?

ESPNW has listed the five best races for women. They are:

1) Disney Tinker Bell and Princess half marathons

2) Nike Women’s Marathon

3) ZOOMA women’s race series

4) Women Run the Cities

5) St. Luke’s Celebration – “the largest women’s 5K in the country.”

I’m fascinated by this, as the best races for women have one thing in common – lots and lots of women and (virtually) no men. I may be wrong, but I suspect the best races for men would also include lots and lots of women.

Some academic should do a study about the interaction of the sexes as it relates to running, because there are several contradictory dynamics going on. In one sense, running is the ultimate level playing field – everyone covers the same distance under the same external conditions. Regardless of sex, some runners are hyper-competitive and others use road races as social opportunities or community events.

On the other hand, female-centric races and diva nights clearly have great appeal to women, though male counterparts would seem prehistoric and trashy. I’ve never thought it was appropriate to chat up women while they’re running, though the existence of flunning makes me wonder if that’s just old school thinking. At the same time, a race/expo for dudes only would have no special appeal for me, and I suspect most male runners would feel the same.

Why wouldn’t a “best race for women” simply feature more – and cleaner – porta-potties, lots of convenient viewing areas for family and friends, and gender-specific t-shirts? What are guys doing that make women-only races such a draw?