Hello everyone! Today is International Women's Day, and someday, perhaps, this day will be remembered by all, and hopefully the time will come when it will no longer be necessary to celebrate it. All media, the general press, and social networks will be filled this March 8 with negative, shocking headlines, and also the hope that men and women will be treated equally in all corners of the world, in all situations of life. Of course, there is still a long way to go. In this last post, we will tell you about an event that was held yesterday afternoon in Valencia, and in which we were able to be present. The founder of Maminat, Natalia Olmo, was in charge of presenting an event that aimed to highlight the role of women in sports. For this, she moderated a discussion and presented the documentary "Mujeres que corren" (Women who run), a 58-minute documentary that reflects how women are increasingly joining the practice of "running" and how society has changed to accept that women can also be runners.
Big-bottomed and big-breasted
In the documentary, which we recommend you watch because it is entertaining, very light, and invites reflection, Spanish runners tell us how they were called "big-bottomed, big-breasted" decades ago for the mere fact of competing in races. They say that until just 15 years ago, women received much lower prizes than men for winning the same event: 100,000 pesetas for their award compared to the million pesetas that men received. They explain that it was not only strange for them to join sports but also that they were even asked about their sexual orientation because what they did was considered a male, masculine thing.
A woman who moves forward, a woman who must remember the brave ones
Without wanting to "spoiler" the documentary starring journalist and runner Cristina Mitre, we would like to convey the courage, overcoming, and "guts" that those women put into what made them happy: running. Thanks to them, more and more of us are joining in small "cholesterol routes," jogging and walking, daring to do our first popular races, and those who are more "pro" venturing into major events. To them, thank you!
Women today
And so, from yesterday's discussion, we heard heartbreaking stories. For example, that of Natacha López, a runner and mother of two children who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and didn't hesitate to tie her shoes and run again. Yesterday she said, "I have cancer, yes, but running makes me happy. Why wouldn't I go out and do it?" Today, she shares a solidarity challenge with her husband, which consists of running 15 marathons in a year, with the last one taking place in May. On the other hand, former professional athlete and current coach, Marta Fernández de Castro, explained that when she used to get on her bicycle to prepare for a triathlon, there were only 4-5 women doing it, and now in her bicycle meetups, the number has multiplied. Today, in the club she directs, 43% are women. Similarly, runner Patricia López, a graduate in Physical Activity Sciences, has launched a project called "Juntas es mejor" (Together is Better) with another colleague, which aims to encourage women to join sports through very different meetups with one single condition: TO GIVE. A project in which all women are invited to participate, whether they have exercised before or not. If you check their social networks, you can find out all about it.
Inspiring day
And this is how we can also acknowledge that, in this case, the Municipal Sports Foundation of Valencia and the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, have promoted this event which, as well as being motivating, leads us to reflect and appreciate the role that other women have played for us to be able to advance. And there is still so much more to do!
It is tremendously inspiring as a person and as a woman to have documentaries like this and to meet other people who are currently fighting to achieve true equality between men and women.
Oh! And thank you for trusting an entrepreneur to present it. After all, women undertake much less than men...