Amy Begley
A little over 11 years ago, Amy Begley was at a turning point in her career. Her time as a professional runner had come to a close, on terms not entirely her own, and she wasn’t sure where she was heading next.
As she networked and looked for jobs, she received an enticing offer. The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) was embarking on a project to preserve the history of women’s running, tied into the upcoming anniversary of the first women’s Olympic Marathon Trials. Would she be willing to help?
The idea immediately appealed. So, Amy got to work tracking down some of the sport’s most prominent female pioneers, reaching out to Track & Field historians, clubs, and coaches for contact information and race results. She spent hours on the phone interviewing more than 50 of the women.
As she did, she learned more about the obstacles they’d overcome—and found herself in awe of their accomplishments. “Women were told they couldn’t, and they weren’t taking no for an answer,” she says. “I loved the silent rebel of it. I loved the fact that they were finding the same joy in it I did, and really creating space for women to continue to do it or even to start to do it.”
The experience not only gave her a deep knowledge of the history of the sport, it also proved cathartic in her time of transition. “In a way, I was grieving my own retirement and my own career, but also understanding that I was incredibly lucky for all of the things that I was able to do and all the things that I was given in my career,” she says. “There was an entire generation, or more generations, of women that didn’t even get half or a quarter of what I was given.”
Some of the interviews were later released as podcast episodes, but others have never been heard. That project served as the precursor to this podcast, Starting Line 1928. And now, in the weeks ahead, we’ll be bringing you some of the interviews that Amy conducted 10 years ago, in 2013.
The audio quality isn’t the same—after all, Zoom or other online recording systems didn’t exist back then—but the voices and stories come through, loud and clear. And we know you’ll appreciate hearing them.
Of course, Amy holds her own spot in women’s running history, and in this episode, we cover her trajectory too. She first felt drawn to running at age 8, when she was walking her dogs in Indiana’s Bixler Lake Park and saw a woman running there. She asked if she could try it, too.
Amy’s first ribbon
She was already athletic, but her parents weren’t sure more running was wise at her age, and advised her to wait until she was at least 10. Once she finally hit double digits, her first event was a five-mile Mother’s Day race at that same park. At the end, she got a big red second-place ribbon and a new life’s purpose.
In fact, that same year, she wrote three life goals in her journal: to be a veterinarian, own a no-kill dog island, and become an Olympian.
The dog island and veterinary career would have to wait, but 20 years later in 2008, she would indeed make it to the Games. Amy came in third in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Trials—just behind her then-teammate, Kara Goucher—to earn a spot in Beijing.
2008 Olympic Trials
“It was the highest high you can probably ever feel—you just feel like you’re flying for a while. I don’t think I slept for three days,” she says. “It was pretty amazing to finally accomplish that goal. You know, not everybody gets to do that.”
Next came 2009, what she called “a magical year,” where she set personal bests in distances from the 800 meters to the half-marathon. But in 2010, she began battling injuries, and in 2011 she parted ways with the Nike Oregon Project. She tried to keep running, but her body had other ideas, and she decided to retire.
After her time on the women’s running-history project, Amy would go on to blaze trails in a new way—as a coach; a role in which women still remain largely underrepresented. First, she coached at the University of Connecticut, then moved on to the Atlanta Track Club, where she and her husband, Andrew, both coach elite middle- and long-distance athletes.
Her conversations with women’s running pioneers gave her a valuable perspective that still informs her work today, she says. “If there’s a better way or more efficient way—or more equitable or fair way—to do things, you shouldn’t continue doing what you’ve done,” she says. “I also think it gave me more confidence in myself, and in knowing that the people go on from running. Running didn’t define all of them.”
From her vantage point, women’s running has come a long way since the early days. What’s more, the ever-lengthening list of women telling their stories, in books and articles and on podcasts like this one gives her hope that even more progress can be made in the future, as old narratives around puberty, pregnancy, and more continue to shift.
“I hope women continue to keep running well into their 30s and 40s and that they enjoy it, and that they don't end their careers having to have made decisions that weren't right for their bodies or their families,” she says.
About the author: Cindy Kuzma is a freelance writer, author, and podcaster based in Chicago, and part of the leadership team for Starting Line 1928. She contributes regularly to Runner’s World, Women’s Running, SELF, and more; is co-author of Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries; and co-host of The Injured Athletes Club podcast.
