Today I share stories from the past 15 years. Actually it started well before 2004, back to when I was a kid and no one could tell if I was a boy or a girl! Today gender is fluid; it's not so much of an issue. But it was back then and it created insecurities about my femininity that ultimately led to the start of Skirt Sports.
Tina Muir is many things. But that wasn't always so. For a long time, she was a runner - a world-class, professional distance runner who sacrificed just about everything for performance. That is, until she decided that running was no longer enough and it was time to add a new adventure to her life. That adventure is now 19 months old, named Bailey Grace, and it's a testament to Tina's will to change that her baby girl is here with us today.
Kara Goucher is pretty much famous. And more than the “famous in our own circles” kind of famous. She’s running royalty; she’s been in the spotlight of a large and passion-driven sport for over a decade. But what happens when you are no longer running for first place? When your body tells you it’s time to change tracks, but you still love what you do?
Dimity McDowell has been a friend of mine for over a decade. The first time I remember interacting with her was when she was writing for Runner’s World. She was prepping for a women's marathon, and she let her readership choose her outfit. Our 2007 Marathon Dress was in the running and won! So Dimity wore a very short Skirt Sports dress and crushed her marathon (it was even shorter on her 6'5" body)! We’ve been mutually respecting each other for years since.
Lisa Hallett is a purveyor of love, light and energy. She’s the co-founder of Wear Blue: Run to Remember a national nonprofit running community that honors the service and sacrifice of the American military. Wear Blue was started because early in her marriage, Lisa’s husband, John, was killed while deployed in Afghanistan. As she navigated her new reality, she needed to find a way to remember John. She found it through running.
Beatie Deutsch is a champion distance runner. Her story is truly amazing. After getting married at 19, and having 4 children, she realized she had lost the natural fitness of her youth and decided to set her sights on a marathon because it would be a big enough goal to keep her motivated. She ran her first marathon surprisingly fast in 3:27. Two years (and her 5th child) later, she won her first marathon in 3:09. Just a year later, in 2019, she surprised everyone by winning the Israel National Marathon Championships in 2:42 the 5th best result of all time for Israeli women. She did all this while complying with the requirements of her faith - Orthodox Judaism.
Liz Warner is running 30 Marathons in 30 Countries before she turns 30. If she was 20, this would be a cool and epic endeavor. What makes it way more cool and epic is that she decided to start this effort when she was 28, with just a year and a half to make it happen.
Louise Green is a badass. Her passion is to create a more inclusive world. Her work focuses mainly on women (including herself) who are often polarized due to their size. Louise and I have an incredible conversation that really boils down to this... What it means to find happiness and health no matter what your circumstances are.
Our guest is someone that might surprise you. Ten years ago it would have surprised me that I reached out to her. Her name is Sally Bergesen and she’s the founder of women’s athletic wear brand Oiselle.
I first came across Tracey Hulick when I opened the front page of the Denver Post Sports section and there she was running an ultra.
