Today is Saturday, August 2nd, 2025 and on this day in 1928, 9 women competed in what would be the first and only Olympic 800 meter race for women until 1960.
In this episode, we speak with Maggie Mertens, author of the 2024 book "Better, Faster, Farther", in which she covers this exact race in detail. Maggie and I discuss the facts of the race itself versus how it was covered by the media, and why all races longer than 200 meters were subsequently banned for women at all Olympic Games for the 32 years that followed.
I highly encourage all of y'all to check out Maggie Mertens's book, which is available at this link.
Today is also #SaltySaturday, which means that this episode is sponsored by SaltStick. The summer heat is not going anywhere any time soon, which means that we all need to be replenishing electrolytes lost in sweat.
The FastChews from SaltStick are my personal favorite way to get electrolytes in mid-run, and they come in some great flavors, plus caffeinated and uncaffeinated versions, too! Listeners of Today In Running History can save 20% off of your order using this link.
This episode was edited and produced by my good friend and confidant, Rob Garcia. Check out his podcast, Rob on the Run on Youtube, or on Instagram as @robontherunpod.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like, subscribe, and share, then connect with me on Instagram as well at @running_up_that_hillary, or check out my website at runningupthathillary.com.
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