Meet the Women of 261 Fearless Club of Syracuse

Running group is more about camaraderie, not competition

By Norah Machia

 

If you’re a woman of any age who wants to run, but feels slightly intimidated about getting started, a special running club in Central New York could be your answer.

The 261 Fearless Club of Syracuse is a noncompetitive running group for women aged 18 and older (several members are in their 50s, 60s and 70s). The club is for those who enjoy the camaraderie of running with other women in a noncompetitive environment — which often results in a feeling of empowerment in many different aspects of their lives.

“It’s about running to find something inside yourself that you didn’t know you had,” said Debbie Sindone, 56, a certified 261 Fearless lead coach. “We don’t care about your speed or if you do races. We’re not here to teach you to run faster, but to give you the opportunity to bond with other women.”

Members meet weekly in Liverpool and Cazenovia and run for an average of 30 minutes. The meetups include warm-up activities and sometimes even a game. “We can be goofballs at times,” said Sindone. (Although the club is not competitive, a few members have decided to take on additional training to participate in
other racing events).

The 261 Fearless organization is a worldwide nonprofit program started in 2015 by Kathrine Switzer, a Syracuse University graduate and the first woman to officially run in the Boston Marathon, and Edith Zuschmann, a nationally ranked swimmer-turned-distance runner in her native Austria. Switzer, 77, who still runs daily, said the organization was started to help empower women through running.

“I discovered early that running always made me feel powerful, free and fearless,” Switzer said in a phone interview in mid-September from her Hudson Valley home. “The longer I ran, the stronger I felt, so the 26.2-mile distance intrigued me.”

At the time, “I wasn’t trying to break any barriers; I was just a kid who wanted to run,” added Switzer, who completed the 1967 Boston Marathon. “It wasn’t until a race official attacked me during the run that I became determined to finish and speak
out on behalf of all women.”

The year before her Boston Marathon run, another woman, Roberta Gibb, jumped out from behind a bush and unofficially ran the event. The next year, Switzer registered for the marathon under her initials “K.V. Switzer” (she had always signed her name this way). “There was nothing in the rulebook or on the entry form saying the marathon was a men’s-only event,” she said.

The 1967 marathon got off to a good start for Switzer, who was welcomed by several other male runners. But a short time later, she was spotted by race organizer Jock Semple. He chased after her and tried to rip off her 261 bib number, yelling that women were not allowed in the marathon.

“I was very frightened and just trying to get away from him,” she said. Switzer’s boyfriend at the time was running alongside her and shoved the race official away.

Her trainer, Arnie Briggs, told Switzer to keep going and she became even more determined to finish the marathon as a show of strength for all women.

“I was serious about my running and I could not let fear stop me,” Switzer said. Although she crossed the finish line, it was the iconic photos taken of the race official trying to push her out that captured headlines and became a symbol for the women’s movement, particularly in sports.

“It was very bad timing for the official, but good timing for women’s rights,” Switzer said.

It wasn’t until 1972 that the Boston Marathon was officially open to women, but only if they met the men’s qualifying time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. Eight women ran that day, including Switzer, who finished at 3:29:51. She went on to run the Boston Marathon five more times and had a personal best of 2:51:37 in 1975.

Switzer was a leader in establishing the women’s marathon as an official event at the 1984 Olympics and has done television commentary at numerous Olympic Games, along with the Boston Marathon and several others, retiring in 2018. Switzer was inducted in the USA National Women’s Hall of Fame for creating positive social change.

Today, there are 261 Fearless groups in 12 countries. ‘My bib number from the first Boston Marathon, 261, has become a number meaning fearless in the face of adversity,” Switzer said. “Women from around the world are rallying to embrace its spirit.”

The Central New York club was energized last year by a visit from Switzer herself, who made the trip to meet with several area running organizations. “Kathrine told her story, which was so inspiring,” said Sindone.

Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham, 59, founder of Women TIES (Women Together Inspiring Entrepreneurial Success) in Syracuse, ran the 2017 Boston Marathon with Switzer and a group of women worldwide raising money to support expanding the 261 Fearless organization.

Before the marathon, Higginbotham had been running about two miles a day. She met Switzer when looking for a motivational speaker to help promote a statewide event for female entrepreneurs. When she typed the word “Fearless” into a Google search, Kathrine’s name was the first to appear, said Higginbotham.

Switzer later invited Higgenbotham to a meeting in New York City with other 261 Fearless supporters. That experience led Higginbotham to participate in the marathon, which marked the 50th anniversary of Switzer’s historic run.

“I would have never run the marathon if it hadn’t been for Kathrine and the other women at that meeting,” Higginbotham said. “We were a diverse group of women from different backgrounds and ages, but we formed a nice bond with each other. That’s what 261 Fearless clubs are all about.”

Members of the 261 Fearless Club of Syracuse meet year-round although they adjust meeting times for daylight savings to avoid running in the dark. Meetups are held on weekday evenings during the warmer months and change to weekends when the colder weather arrives.

They run outside in all types of weather, including rain and snow. Sindone said that the upcoming winter months should not discourage people from joining. “We run year-round, but we won’t run on ice,” she said.

Sindone said it’s a good idea to have a headlamp and reflective vest if you are going for an afternoon run on your own during the winter months, just in case you get caught in the dark. Special breathable neck garments can be pulled up to cover the nose and mouth for those who may have trouble breathing in the cold air.

“There is no bad weather for running, just bad clothing,” said Sindone. “If you wear the proper attire, you should be able to run in any weather.”

Hydration is also important, even when running in the cold months, she added.

Switzer recalls training for the Boston Marathon “during one of the worst winters in Syracuse,” she said. “There was so much snow; we didn’t see bare ground until May. But while it was a challenge to train in the winter months, “it made me a tougher runner,” she added. In fact, the weather during the 1967 Boston Marathon was “snowing, sleeting and freezing rain, but it didn’t phase me at all,” Switzer said.

“Once you get the right clothing, you’re warm as toast,” she said. Layering is essential and a combination of tights, sweatpants, long-sleeved T-shirts, windbreakers, hats, gloves and long neck wraps usually works well. “I would also start with a gloved hand over my nose and breathe through it to get used to the cold,” she said. “You could even wear one of those masks that so many people wore during COVID-19.”

It’s never too late to start running, regardless of age. “Women should realize the body will always improve if you exercise,” Switzer said. “If you want to lift up a woman, show her how to run.”

One of the oldest members of the local Syracuse club is Bonnie Misch, who decided to take up running in her early 60s. Misch had always been active but wanted to try something new after retiring.

Now 77, she continues to run almost daily. “My doctor says I’m in better shape than him,” Misch said. “I really have no limitations and my only medical issue is arthritis.”

She has also participated in several races, including 5Ks and half-marathons.

“I’m glad to have joined the 261 Fearless Club,” she added. “It’s been something fun to put on my calendar and I enjoy meeting up with the other women in the group.”

 

More on 261 Fearless Club?

For more information about the 261 Fearless Club, visit www.261fearless.org. To contact the Syracuse organization, send an email to 216fearlessclubsyr@gmail.com.