Running The London Marathon At That Time Of Month

[icyfroth]

Spoiler

Woman runs whole London Marathon without tampon to fight the 'stigma of periods' - Health & Families - Life and Style - The Independent

“The marathon for me was about family and feminism,” she said – the latter being because she “ran the whole marathon with period blood running down [her] legs”.

Gandhi explained that her period began the night before the big race, but that she decided she didn’t want to have to wear a tampon while running 26.2 miles.

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She wrote: “I thought, if there’s one person society won’t f*** with, it’s a marathon runner. If there’s one way to transcend oppression, it’s to run a marathon in whatever way you want.

“On the marathon course, sexism can be beaten. Where the stigma of a woman’s period is irrelevant, and we can re-write the rules as we choose. Where a woman’s comfort supersedes that of the observer.

“I ran with blood dripping down my legs for sisters who don’t have access to tampons and sisters who, despite cramping and pain, hide it away and pretend like it doesn’t exist. I ran to say, it does exist, and we overcome it every day. The marathon was radical and absurd and bloody in ways I couldn’t have imagined until the day of the race.”

FGS what's liberating about running a marathon without using an adequate hygiene product?

[jessicadazzler97]

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@lionrose.7 wrote:

Pepe I hate that word Guttersnipe and it is not the right word for this women.

I may not agree with what she is doing BUT no need for that sort of language in this case.

It is a horrible word

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 Totally agreed. Bet they wouldn't use such horrible words if she was actually reading this forum.

 Or maybe they would, cause very few here seem to care about other people's feelings.

[jessicadazzler97]

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@*pepe wrote:

I challenge anyone who says they see nothing wrong with it or who supports her rights and choices to do this to do the same.

I bet not many will.

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 Go on then 😉 Obviously because you're such a just soul, you'll be taking part as well 😛

[polksaladallie]

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@lionrose.7 wrote:

Pepe I hate that word Guttersnipe and it is not the right word for this women.

I may not agree with what she is doing BUT no need for that sort of language in this case.

It is a horrible word

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I agree about that word.

It was used on more than one occasion in parliament by PM Howard.  Disgusting.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

Was it a slow news day yesterday?

The London marathon was run in late April 2015 ..the 26th to be exact.

The runner published the information on her blog on the 26 April 2015

Sisterhood, blood and boobs at the London Marathon 2015

By Kiran Gandhi / April 26, 2015

but AFAIK  mainstream media picked up and published the story yesterday 11th August 2015?

maybe Gandhi's form of female empowerment needed to wait for an opening or the MMPMT (mainstream media post menstrual tension) to subside

[icyfroth]

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@colic2bullsgirlore wrote:

Was it a slow news day yesterday?

The London marathon was run in late April 2015 ..the 26th to be exact.

The runner published the information on her blog on the 26 April 2015

Sisterhood, blood and boobs at the London Marathon 2015

By Kiran Gandhi / April 26, 2015

but AFAIK  mainstream media picked up and published the story yesterday 11th August 2015?

maybe Gandhi's form of female empowerment needed to wait for an opening or the MMPMT (mainstream media post menstrual tension) to subside

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Lets hope she's washed her knickers in the meantime then lol

[*pepe]

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@jessicadazzler wrote:

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@*pepe wrote:

I challenge anyone who says they see nothing wrong with it or who supports her rights and choices to do this to do the same.

I bet not many will.

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 Go on then 😉 Obviously because you're such a just soul, you'll be taking part as well 😛

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of course i wouldn't take part - i don't agree with the choice she made, i see plenty wrong with it, i don't believe anyone has the right to infllict their bodily fuids on others, unless they consent of course, and lasty - I'm not a guttersnipe.

[myoclon1cjerk]

Just move the race forward a week.Problem solved 🙂

[justpolls]

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@springyzone wrote:

I need a martini asked-

How can you run solidly for 5 hours (or even 1) and keep a pad in place?

And was she expected to carry her handbag on the run so she could have her extra pads in there for her toilets breaks in the middle of her race? 

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The clothes they wear on these runs are usually fairly fitted so I don't see that a pad would move around that much.

Or what about those incontinence type pants. If they're snug fitting they may do the trick.

That's what I was thinking also. She also could have used a pad inside of the Depends and that would be just like wearing underwear but with added protection.

[springyzone]

It is sounding as if there sometimes is a bit of a problem for some women using sanitary products in sporting events.

Maybe there could be a marketing opportunity for some business, to make disposable, all in one snug fitting sanitary sports panties or products specially designed for sportswomen at any rate.

I can't see why not.

I notice that nowadays there are a lot of different products available- maternity pads, for example, which are longer etc

Just a couple of decades back you were probably lucky to find 2 types, regular or super, now there are lots of shapes and sizes, so I don't see that sporting products are out of the question.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@*pepe wrote:

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@jessicadazzler wrote:

---

@*pepe wrote:

I challenge anyone who says they see nothing wrong with it or who supports her rights and choices to do this to do the same.

I bet not many will.

---

 Go on then 😉 Obviously because you're such a just soul, you'll be taking part as well 😛

---

of course i wouldn't take part - i don't agree with the choice she made, i see plenty wrong with it, i don't believe anyone has the right to infllict their bodily fuids on others, unless they consent of course, and lasty - I'm not a guttersnipe.

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How is she inflecting her bodily fluids on anyone? The blood is closely confined to a small section of her own body. It is not "flowing down her legs" and "into her shoes" as has been suggested on this thread. How is it "unhygenic" and I still don't get what possible "fungal infection" she could get from this?

There is a small patch on her tights. This wouldn't even be noticeable if she had black tights on.

Compare this to that other bodily fluid - sweat. Which would have been flowing extremely freely on most of the runners that day. And unlike the fluids from this woman, sweat would likely have 'splashed' on other runners.

How is that not more "gross"?  

Oh that's right, sweat is natural and periods are taboo...which of course is part of the point she was making.

Personally I wouldn't do what she did. I would be too embarassed (again, part of the point that she was making) but well done to her for bringing a hidden subject out into the open. 

However, I have had to remove a painful tampon midway through a 2 hour strenuous hike once so I understand what it means to be uncomfortable because of products at that time of the month. 

It's just not possible to have used something for a 5 hour marathon. She isn't a professional athlete. She was not expecting to get her period THAT day. But she did what was best for her that day and started people talking.