Following a 15,000 women’s march in 1908, through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote, a year later the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day. In 1910 the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen unanimously voted to back the idea of an International Women’s Day. First celebrated in 1911 in Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Austria it has evolved to International Women’s Day on 8th March and now the annual week of celebrations that we know today.
There continues to be a need for International Women’s Day with gender inequalities still prevalent in society. In the UK in 2012 The Supreme Court found that Birmingham City Council had subjected female claimants to years of unequal pay.
Thus it was totally appropriate that our friend, Alice donned the Run Director vest and was assisted by a roster of female Volunteers, to put on today’s event at Burgess parkrun. With a sense of celebration in the air for how far women have come, such as now being allowed to run marathons and occupying important seats of power and influence.
Of the 476 people completing 215 were women. Channelling all the week’s acknowledgement of female achievements was Carol who set the best female age grade percentage of 84.36%!
Buoyed by all this positive energy I recorded my first sub 20min run at Burgess this year with it being 75% of my age grading. Whilst this wasn’t an event best for me, as Bobby McFerrin, whose birthday is today, said, ‘don’t worry be happy’ and I certainly was.
Next week plans are in place to do another London Parkrun with a trip to the London Borough of Ealing to complete Northala Fields parkrun.
Happy Running
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