Keira "Body Image"post

I didn’t say I cared, I was more just showing how regular an occurrence it is for people to feel entitled to say things to other people when they have no place. I probably shouldn’t have even described him as homeless. It’s quite possible he works a construction job that leaves him covered in dirt each day & hes used to it

I call BS. Is she really this thirsty for attention and affirmation? Does she really have to go into Allie Kieffer’s wheel house? I saw her through the concourse, nobody would tell that old lady she is too fat to be a marathoner to her face. She is tiny.

I wonder how Shericka Jackson would’ve handled the situation. I can’t imagine her sucking it up/failing to handle the situation properly and then writing a social media post about later.

Keira says she has highlighted this situation not because she was particularly bothered by the comment personally but because the attitude could affect others. Why on earth didn’t she feel the need to dress the person down or at least take the chance to point out the issues with the person at source.

Was she maybe instead thinking to herself ‘oooh this will make a perfect Instagram post, I reckon I’ll hit 20,000 likes if I word it correctly’?

One would assume you know nothing about running yet come to a running site. She was NOT in peak marathon shape but she was "in shape." She had to decide on her summer/fall schedule and was NOT training to be an alternate at Worlds and run a marathon in mid-July. She was set for Peachtree and preparing for a fall marathon. That requires a different training approach which means she was not peaking for worlds.

In this country where the majority of people are obese monstrosities?

People with a BMI under 25 are accused of being anorexic or possibly a cancer patient.

Nobody in this land of fatties is going to call her fat.

Nobody? It was not that long ago some people made a comment about Emily Sisson's thighs being big.

People also crap all over actors and actresses if they're not a size 0, even if these critics are obese themselves.

Could've been an East African guy. Mary Keitany's like 90 lbs but never even looked emaciated.

People have also said Desi's thighs were big. I don't understand why you'd be so skeptical Keira had this conversation.

Finally read her post. Why would she be a coward and not state the facts: "I placed 8th in the marathon" and educate and shut people up on the spot? I don't get it. I'm Hispanic and sometimes people don't know it so when they say something racist or stereotypical about Hispanics, I immediately put them in their place. She missed an opportunity to lead and educate.

Correct. Keira made the story up. Sad

So, now she made up a story? Or is this ENTIRE thread a made up story of a made up story of a made up story. What the f*cking hell?

Yes. There’s no f*inf way what she said happened, happened. I feel sorry for you if you believe sh*t like this. Guys don’t walk up to 100lbs girls saying the look to big for marathon running. She’s lying. Bring on the down votes. I just state facts

yeah it’s weird in general for people to just comment on someone else’s body to their face. I’ve also 100% had random non-runner people say the exact same thing to me—that I was big for a runner or not small enough to be a runner at 5’7 and somewhere between 110-130 pounds.

my original college coach also definitely grouped people as 800/1500 v 5k/10k based on body size.

I'm a female sub-elite in my 30s, I am 5'9" and 130-135 lbs at "race weight," ~5 lbs more if not. I've been told by many, many people since age about 15 that I'm "too big" to be good distance runner. My primary distance has always been 5k plus.

In the real world I am very thin. I know this. In clothing I am usually an XS or S, size 4, or 25-26" waist. These are typically the smallest sizes sold in conventional stores in North America.

But in running world I am "big." At this point in my life it makes me laugh to be told this, but when I was younger it messed me up a lot and contributed to disordered eating/training. I think it's simplistic and naive to think that it's only the comments that do it - someone like me can easily look at the start line among their equals and see that they are much larger - but the comments can push you over the edge/invalidate you in a way that's important, especially if you are younger and less confident in how your body is. As an adult, I know that my body is the way it is, but when you're a teen you're going through a lot of change and there is doubt - you feel like you might be able to "fix it" by not eating or overtraining.

This is a very serious issue, I appreciate older athletes such as Keira addressing it.

I didn’t say she was out of shape. She has been very clear that she was training for a 10K and looking for a fall marathon. I said it has been exaggerated that she was given 2 weeks notice to prepare and “train” (I put this in quotes because no one trains for a marathon 2 weeks beforehand). If the rest of us who follow the sport felt it was unlikely Molly would get to the start line (and you know USATF is aware of the TUE situation) and Jon/Molly went up to the deadline to notify for USATF of their decision, it stands to reason that USATF had an an alternate waiting in the wings a good deal before that 2 week deadline.

Maybe not. Maybe USATF really is that dumb and waited until that deadline then used a phone tree to see if anyone was free.

I still think it’s more likely they gave Keira a heads up and let her know there was a strong possibility she would get called up. And I think Keira probably did more marathon preparation than she let on. I watched the women’s marathon in person. She ran aggressively like she thought she would contend for a medal, not like someone who was peaking for a distance race less than a quarter of a marathon.

I’m not criticizing her. I’m just saying - it’s a wonderful story to say “I only had two weeks to prepare for this race,” but it felt a bit disingenuous.

I believe Kiera's post because I was told some version of "you're too big" from strangers, coaches, and family throughout my youth. On multiple occasions, my high school coach told me I was prone to injury because my hips were wider than my 70lb teammate. He literally drew a stick figure of my teammate, then a much thicker figure of me to illustrate how my "wide hips" were messing with my biomechanics. I was 5'9'' and 120lbs. He never said I was fat, just pointed out that I was not as thin as the fastest girl on my team.

Later in my 20s, I developed an overactive thyroid. Before I was finally diagnosed and treated, my weight dropped to about 90lbs, which is EXTREMELY underweight for my height. During that time, I had multiple old male strangers approach me in public places, saying things like "do you run, you look really fit!" and "you must be a runner, you look like one". I found these events upsetting because I was very underweight, and I never received these comments when I was at a healthier weight and running much faster.

So I don't think Kiera's height was why she was told she was "big". I think it's because some people's view of the "ideal" female runner's body is extremely underweight. It's very sad.

I’m around the same height and weight when training for longer distances, and a few years ago a homeless guy by a subway station called me “jiggles” as I jogged by.

There have also been threads dedicated to Allie Kieffer, who apparently is “big” but is small in person when I have seen her at races.

I don’t think this issue bothers Keira on her own but sees she has a powerful platform to promote inclusivity on the body size front.