While a student at Smith in 1961, Dr. Julia Chase-Brand '65 defied the gender barrier in women's road racing. During a time when females were not allowed to run over 800m competitively, this college sophomore broke that rule and participated in one of the country’s largest road races in Manchester, Connecticut. Because of her actions, she was banned from running by the Amateur Athletic Union, but she started a trend that would not stop. Soon, other female distance runners followed suit, and slowly—very slowly—race organizers and athletic associations took action, opening the door to women competing in races of all distances.
On Thursday, February 9, Dr. Chase-Brand returned to Smith to speak about her experiences as a pioneer not only in the world of running, but also in her career as a scientist studying bats and gorillas, and her decision to begin medical school when she was almost 50. She continues to practice medicine today, at the age of almost 70. Before her lecture, she visited track practice wearing her old Smith gym suit and ran a few laps around the track with the team. Here is a short video clip from the run:
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