It’s inevitable, some day it’s bound to happen. You might have a mental lapse of judgement during a race, or might not have trained up to your potential. You might (like me) just be getting older, slower, less focused on “the time” and more focused on “the finish”. We all as runners want to do our personal best, we all want to set goals, train for, and then meet them.
This preamble leads me to a very cute story and an awakening of sorts…let me explain…
While running the Creemore Vertical Challenge 25k trial run this past year, I heard for the first time the term “Chicked”. Now, this is a term used to describe “the act of getting passed by a stronger runner, who just also happens to be a woman”. In this specific case, I was passed by my buddy’s girlfriend ( who in my defense is half my age, and runs like a gazelle ). Let’s call her “Catherine”…and yes, that is her real name.
Now Catherine had never run this race before and I give her all kinds of props for running on that specific day as the course was very muddy and technical…lots of steep single track, mostly up hill…some back roads and open fields…a small creek, in fact, if truth be told, she almost backed out of the race because the footing on the course when it is in perfect condition is a bit iffy, and it had poured rain an hour before the race, making the single track a slippery, muddy, mess.
I was feeling pretty good that day, I had a really good run, and in fact, had shaved about 14min. off my best time, running this race three times before. Having said that…here’s what happened.
So when my buddy, “Conar”… yes that’s his real name…so when I came up to the 21k aid station, Conar was volunteering at this station. I had asked Conar how Catherine was doing…his response was “ya, she’s already through, you’ve been “Chicked” by her, I laughed an awkward laugh and trying to stay positive, I said, “good on her” and continued to run the final 4k of the race… I was really OK with it…honest, and let me tell you why.
There are some awesome runners out there who I marvel at …both male and female. The runners who run so fast that by the time I am half way through a marathon, they are finishing, doing a victory lap, and enjoying the spoils of being first at the food table.
I know I am never going to be that fast…truth be told, the average male runner has been “Chicked” every race they have ever run unless they are at the front of the pack.
So take from this blog a lesson on both humility and reality…and I say “Bravo Ladies…Bravo”.
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I’ve read this post a couple of times now over the past couple of days, trying to determine whether I’m just imagining the condescending tone or whether (intentionally or otherwise) it’s actually there. Unfortunately, I have to conclude the latter.
While the mere phrase ‘getting chicked’ rankles me, I realise that it doesn’t have a pejorative connotation for many people, and so I tried not to take it into account when considering how I felt about this post. But the first paragraph certainly doesn’t do the poster any favours – it essentially implies that male runners only get ‘chicked’ due to a variety of excuses – “a mental lapse of judgement” or not training up to your potential. How complimentary to both men and women to hear that men get passed by female runners not because of the latter’s own merits, but because the men have dropped the ball (physically or mentally) in their training.
Of course, Mr. Guchardi offers other reasons why someone might get ‘chicked’ – “You might (like me) just be getting older, slower, less focused on ‘the time’ and more focused on ‘the finish.'” These reasons are split evenly between factors that cannot be controlled (age and speed) – by implication rendering the achievements of any woman who passes him less noteworthy – and reasons that smack of a classic humblebrag (“Oh, I don’t concern myself with my times anymore. I have different priorities now.”)
Given Mr. Guchardi’s self-confessed “awkward laugh” at hearing he’d been ‘chicked’ (man, it bothers me just to keep writing that!) belies his statement that he was “really OK with it…honest” (a phrase whose tone doesn’t esactly convey confidence, either). And his stance on “humility” in the final sentence doesn’t ring true with his completely condescending “Bravo Ladies…Bravo.”
I really wish this post had been a positive look at how running is for everyone, and that (particularly in recreational races) there’s no point in creating competitions based on gender. We’re all there running our own race; does it matter whether the person who passes us is male or female? Unfortunately, this post just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and reminds me that there are runners out there who still define their own performance, at least in part, with whether or not a woman passes them in a race. In my mind, this attitude isn’t healthy for either male or female runners, and distracts us from the fact that we all love running.
On a more positive note, congratulations to both Catherine and Mr. Guchardi for a race they were happy with. In the end, that’s the reason we all do it.
I loved this post.
I have been a female working in male dominated feilds for most of my life (the military being the big one) and generally most guys are not peeved at being beaten by a woman but sometimes take it as a wakeup call to themselves.
This post is bare-bones honest … to leave a comment saying it should be more about a positive outlook on running for all and no need to make it gender competition based – is not the truth in most cases. Every race is still determined by top male and top female. The gap exisits… hence why the “chicked” term ever came about. Enought people have felt it and it has caught on. Also it’s kinda fun to be the female who blasts by these people. Sounds like you havn’t had the pleasure of doing it to someone else yet…
I think he was applauding and acknowledging a change in the sport and that he is coming in contact with more driven females. I have had certain individuals in races pass me and have thought to myself – really? they are beating me?? and then my thought relaxes into a kudos for them…. but the thought is still there. Sorry if thats rude, I’m only human.
He is being honest, so Bravo Len…Bravo.
I have been running for over 25 years and had never known of the existence of the term “chicked” before. This “old guy” had never given a second thought to being beaten by a woman, let alone the occurrence having a name. – having been beaten by hundreds of women. As Tay says above, the sport is changing, and more and more women are out there kicking serious butt, which is great!”
A strange aspect of the term “chicked” is that it is taking on a different connotation in the longer ultra races. Women are starting to win ultras outright. I’ve read up on some explanations, such as woman have higher pain tolerance (childbirth) which compensates for a smaller average muscle mass, blah blah blah, but the reality is that some woman are training harder and running the long runs (50/100 miles) faster than all the males in the same race!
Ever run with Ellie Greenwood? Of course “running with” Ellie is not the correct term, when she laps you in a (short) 50K race!
Lenny: Blame the race director…