Langley’s Haleh Magnus is a wife, a mother and an avid marathon runner. Now she’s a part of history.
Magnus has just returned to Canada from her native Iran, where she was one of the first women to participate in a marathon in that nation.
While the women didn’t get to fully participate, strides were made that will hopefully pave the way for future female runners in that country, said Magnus.
Preparing to go to Iran, where she would try to take part in Iran’s first international marathon in Tehran, was nerve wracking, she said, but something she was determined to do.
Her daughter Lyla was going to be there to witness the groundbreaking day, April 7.
Magnus started a Facebook group that gathered female runners from around the world.
But being accepted to run in a race in a country that forbids women from even watching sporting events was going to have its challenges and disappointments.
Sexual segregation still took place and men and women were not allowed to run side-by-side. But when Magnus and her ‘marathon sisters’ arrived in Tehran they were also given the devastating news that women wouldn’t be allowed to run a full marathon.
They were only allowed to run 10 km, in a different part of the city away from the men and at a different start time. Men ran at 7 a.m. and the women at 4 p.m.
Also, women had to wear proper clothing that included a head scarf and long sleeves and pants.
“The outfit they gave us didn’t breathe very well and it was really hot the day of the marathon,” she said. Women also weren’t allowed to carry water in their hands, she said.
But the women had travelled a long way to be part of history, to break down gender discrimination, one run at a time. The news they weren’t allowed to do what they’d set out to do deeply upset the women. They held a ‘crisis meeting.’
WOMEN HATCH A COULD-BE DANGEROUS PLAN TO RUN
A few, including Magnus came up with an idea that could have got them arrested.
“We suggested we do a 32-km (run) of our own somewhere away from where the men’s marathon was happening so it doesn’t look like a protest,” she said.
Only 10 decided to do it. The other women were worried they would get in trouble or be arrested, she said.
The 10 chose to run in a park that is designated for women only.
“We were told that we didn’t need Islamic cover in that park. I was not dressed good enough for Islamic dress code. They told me I can’t go in the park with my outfit. But I had my Canadian flag with me so I asked if it’s ok to wrap the flag around my legs like a skirt and go in?”
So Magnus ran with the flag wrapped around her legs for the full 32 kms.
Magnus was so nervous the night before that she couldn’t sleep or eat. It resulted in her legs feeling like cement by the time the 10 km race arrived.
But knowing her daughter would be at the finish line to see her mom accomplish this feat for women in Iran and all over the world, she persevered.
“When I saw Lyla running to me, it was such a rewarding moment of life. I told her to pull my Canadian flag from my back pack and we held the flag and passed the finish line together.”
Lyla said her mom is an inspiration to all women.
“I was supportive of my Mom and I am very proud of what she’s accomplished,” said Lyla. “My mom is an inspiration to woman in Iran and all around the world to run.”
Despite the setbacks, Magnus feels the women accomplished a lot.
“I hope that with start of a 10k in Iran for women, they’ll move towards allowing women to participate in half or full marathons in the future.”
50 Years Running in Boston
Magnus points out that it wasn’t that long ago that women weren’t allowed to run in the Boston Marathon.
It was the bravery of Kathrine Switzer who entered the race in 1967 using her initials. She received the bib 261. When the race director discovered a woman was running, he forcefully dragged her away from the course, but Switzer’s boyfriend ran interference and she managed to finish it, leading the way for women to eventually join in. Now more women than men participate.
One woman ran in Teheran with a hand-made “261” bib.
“We saw some men that came to the women’s run to watch and support us,” Magnus said.
Also, some of the male racers happened to go to the same restaurant where she was having dinner and they joined the table.
“They all gave us high fives when they heard what we did.”
A BIT OF MARATHON HISTORY
The marathon itself was not allowed in Iran until last year because marathons can be traced back to when the Greek empire beat the Persian empire in battle. A Greek soldier, Pheidippides, went from the town of Marathon and ran 42.2 km to Athens to announce the defeat of the Persian empire. Even before the Iranian revolution in 1979, the king of Iran didn’t allow marathons because of the history.
The medal Magnus received from the Tehran race doesn’t say marathon, it says Persian Run.