Running Like a Girl

On Sunday, March 6, the “Running Like a Girl” 5K Relay Race Fundraiser was held on the Andrews University Athletic Fields Track. This fundraiser took place in honor of Women’s History Month, and featured a set of participants who ran on the track in high heels, many of which were men. A fee was collected at the event in order to raise money for the organization “Mujeres Latinas en Acción,” which was established in 1973. Jocelyne Rico (senior, Spanish), who organized the event, states, “The organization that we chose specifically helps women who are victims of domestic violence. We wanted the money to go toward that specifically because I think it’s such an important cause.”

One of Sunday’s participants, Timmy Duado (junior, marketing and communications), shared his motivation behind participating in the event. He states, “Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I had to run in heels, but I didn’t really think about how difficult it could potentially be. AULA president and good friend Jocelyne Rico asked me to do it, so I knew it was going to be a good event. Also, it was for a good cause so I wanted to support it and her.”

Another high-heeled participant was AUSA president Dongchan Kim (senior, religion), who states, “It was a meaningful experience to participate in the Running Like a Girl event. I knew it was hard to walk or run in heels, but now I understand the pain very well. The hardest part was when I had to keep my ankles straight to not get them twisted.” Duado likewise took precautions to avoid injury, as his heels had to be duct-taped to his feet because they were not the right size. He notes, “I’m not going to lie, I thought I was going to roll an ankle. However, Duado likewise notes that he was “pretty confident” before the event, adding, “I’ve been in my sister’s heels growing up, so I wasn’t fazed. Then I put the heels on, and I immediately regretted my thought process. I give a lot of credit to those who wear heels daily, ‘cause after five minutes with them on, I was already dying. But once I hit the track, and I started running, I was hyped. Stopping was difficult, but still fun nonetheless.” At the end of the event, Timmy came out victorious and won first place with his teammates, Shadrach Agol (senior, computer science), Tyler Ninalga (junior, music), Steven Injety (senior, data science), and Wesley Marcellus.

To many AU students, the event caught their attention due to its unique nature. Abigail Lee (sophomore, sociology) states, “In an attempt to break down gender stereotypes, I feel like the event maybe fulfilled them in a different way. I don’t want to be too pedantic about it though, because it was clearly for a good cause.” Lyle Goulbourne (senior, biology) notes, “That sounds like good way to hurt yourself.” High heels are known to cause a significant amount of discomfort and injury, particularly with long-term usage. As noted in a study on high-heeled shoes and musculoskeletal injuries in the BMJ, “High-heeled shoes were shown to be associated with hallux valgus, musculoskeletal pain and first-party injury.” Furthermore, a study in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery includes the caution, “Although high heels might be stylish, from a health standpoint, it could be worthwhile for females and those interested in wearing high heels to understand the risks of wearing high-heeled shoes and the potential harm that precarious activities in high-heeled shoes can cause.” Women who have worn heels for extended periods of time know of the acute pain that accompanies walking in these shoes, let alone running in them. This made the events of last Sunday especially striking, as students around campus watched a group of young men literally place themselves in someone else’s shoes for a charitable cause.