‘Society puts women in a box’
Active living touted at annual Expo
Advocate for female athletics, Stacy Chesnutt, said historically women have been told to look a certain way, but were not always welcome in sport.
Chesnutt has three decades of running experience under her belt, including eight Ironman triathlons and 56 marathons/ultra marathons.
She is also creator of the Sole Sisters Women’s Race, which is considered the largest women’s five-kilometre racing competition in Canada. The event is hosted annually in her hometown of Dartmouth, N.S.
Born in Nashville, Tenn., Chesnutt discovered running as a teenager and never looked back.
She said the biggest thing the sport has given her is confidence.
“I’m actually an advocate for women and girls being active and using running or walking to help them for their own confidence,” Chesnutt said. “For me, I found running at 17, and it really changed the course of my life.”
The 47-year-old delivered a presentation Saturday on the history of women’s distance running during the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s annual Active Living Expo held at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.
Chesnutt said society often seeks physical fitness from women. However, it has at times, been unwelcoming of female competition. She said there is also often a misconception that female hormones negatively affect women’s performances. She said it is mindboggling to think that women were only allowed to compete at the Boston Marathon 47 years ago.
“Society puts women in a box — that they need to look a certain way, behave a certain way,” she said. “For many years, women and girls were not encouraged to see themselves as athletes.”
Chesnutt is set to appear at this weekend’s Cape Breton Fiddlers Run.
She first completed the Sydney marathon event two years ago, then returned again last summer to win the 10-km contest.
“There aren’t tons of people, but the people have tons of energy,” said Chesnutt in comparing Sydney to other cities she’s raced in.
“I just find the people that are cheering for us, or doing the water stops, are exceptional. They’re the most fun of any race probably in Nova Scotia, so that’s why I come back.”
Organizers of the Active Living Expo say the free event is a great way to learn more about active, healthy living opportunities within the the municipality.
CBRM physical activity coordinator, Colleen Clare, said the event has steadily grown over the years.
“Every year it keeps growing and more and more groups and businesses want to take part,” she said. “It’s well known that we’re not as active as a population as we should be, and in some cases, it’s a matter of people not knowing what’s out there.”
Lisa MacDonald of Sydney said she was always active but started running in 2012 after graduating university.
“It’s my therapy,” she said. “It makes you feel good.”