investigates.

Women's running has come a long way in a short time. In 1971, no woman had officially broken three hours for the marathon, but less than 20 years later, Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway ran 2 hours, 21 minutes and 6 seconds in the 1985 London Marathon to set the still standing women's world record. It marked an incredible improvement of some 40 minutes while the men's record has fallen less than two minutes from 2:08:33.6 in 1969 to 2:06:50 (the present record set by Belayneh Dinsamo of Ethiopia in the 1988 Rotterdam Marathon). If the men's record had fallen at a corresponding rate, it would be less than two hours.

Although the first Bermuda International Marathon was held in 1975, it wasn't until 1978 that women ran, and Debbie Butterfield took women's honours in 3:00:16. Twelve years down the road as a married mother of two young sons she improved on that time, and set a new women's local record with 2:54:18.

In fact until 1971, international rules barred women from road racing with men, and few women raced in any long distance events. Women athletes rarely continued with competition once they had children.

Today that's all changed. Women continue to race - and race well - after having children. But do women really run better after having a baby? Evidence through detailed research, and the performances of some of the world's top female athletes does indicate that in many cases, some remarkable improvement can be seen.

Anyone who doubts this theory has to look no further than Scotland's Liz McColgan.

Last year McColgan displayed an awesome show of front-running to decimate a top field and win the 10,000 metres at the IAAF World Championships held in Tokyo. She beat the second-placed woman, Zhong Huandi of China, by an incredible margin of more than 20 seconds, and crossed the line in 31 minutes, 14.31 seconds. A great run by any standards, yet McColgan achieved this stunning victory less than one year after giving birth to daughter Eilish.

It could be coincidence, yet Ingrid Kristiansen set just about all her world records, from 5,000 metres through to the marathon, after becoming a mother.

Whatever else is claimed, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that women slow down after childbirth.

Recent research carried out at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio, reveals that pregnancy significantly boosts max VO FD (the maximal amount of oxygen the body processes during exercise). This increase occurred in a group of pregnant women despite a marked slowdown in training in the period before and after childbirth. Max VO FD is increased by athletes through increased exercise intensity and volume, thus there is no logical reason why these women showed an increase, although the most obvious was that the extra weight carried produced a kind of training effect.

Case Western researchers concluded: "The improvement in max VO FD cannot be explained by training alone, and this suggests that some pregnancy-related factors amplified the training effect in the selected women.'' So how have Bermuda's women runners fared after having children? Debbie Butterfield's Race Weekend record speaks for itself. She has twice finished top local runner in the International 10K and is a four-time local winner of the International Marathon, setting the local women's record of 2:54.18 in 1990. She is married to Bermuda businessman Jim Butterfield (himself a sub-2:30 marathoner, and a former Ironman triathlete), with two sons Spencer and Tyler, who both compete in junior races.

Debbie, now a master runner (40-plus), and still very active on the racing scene, talks enthusiastically about the effects of having children and, more specifically, how it changed her running.

"During my first pregnancy, I took note of the whole thing. Before I got pregnant, I was training for the 1981 International Marathon and in the best shape of my life, and I ran the marathon three months pregnant to finish in 3:05.'' She ran the Perrier 10-miler in 1981 when she was five months pregnant with Spencer, and continued to run at least two miles a day right up to the day before giving birth in August. The following year Debbie won the May 24 Marathon Derby, beating favourite Merernette Bean.

She explained that in the time between giving birth to Spencer, then Tyler (in February, 1983), she did little in the way of training or competition and had a full-time job. Yet once she again resumedtraining, her times dropped.

"Before I had children, I did high mileage - often 90 miles per week. After the two children and the job, with no help, my mileage fell to around 45 per week, but the training was all quality.'' Women's running reached another milestone in 1984 when the women's marathon became part of the Olympics for the first time. Butterfield, a US citizen, ran in the January 1984 Orange Bowl Marathon at Miami to qualify for the Olympic Trials. Her fastest (pre-children) time was 2:49, and this fell to 2:45 as she qualified for the Trials. At the US Olympic Trials on May 12, 1984, Butterfield ran the race of her life to finish in 2:38:22. Although she just missed on qualifying for the Olympics, she had brought her marathon down by a staggering 11 minutes in just over four months - something was clearly afoot.

"I was just amazed at how my times fell after having kids, and it wasn't just the marathon. Later on I ran 36:26 for the International 10K which again was a PB (personal best).'' Eager to resume running immediately after Spencer's birth, it took her about six weeks before she could start, and even then she was unable to run properly for a few months.

"It was hard at first, but I certainly find old age harder to deal with! However, after Tyler, I did wait six weeks before attempting to run, but I did a lot of walking, taking Spencer for a walk with Tyler snuggled in front of me, so I kept fit.'' So why did Butterfield show such a marked improvement? "I just don't know why I improved so much, but I definitely improved, and by a huge amount. After my 2:38 at the Trials, I didn't ever break 2:40 again but most marathons were around the 2:40 mark, and my last good marathon was at Pittsburgh in 1988 where I ran 2:43, again in the US Olympic Trials.'' Melanie Claude has established herself as one of Bermuda's top female runners and triathletes. She has only started competing seriously in the last year, although she was a top cross-country runner while at University in Nova Scotia where she had been voted Athlete of the Year. Married to Canadian Paul Claude, she returned to her native Bermuda with a young daughter, Samantha.

Where some mothers are restricted by the added responsibility of a baby, Claude actually increased her training, utilising Samantha in the process! When Samantha was in her first year, Claude would do 45 minutes on a stair-climber machine with baby strapped to her, and kept herself very active around the house.

"I maintained a cardio-vascular level of fitness just looking after Samantha.

There are certain exercises that you can do with a baby, lying on your back, and I used her as a type of dumb-bell!'' Claude became instantly recognisable in Bermuda when she started to run races pushing Samantha in a baby-stroller, and managing some very fast times, often leaving red-faced men in her wake. On occasions, all three would go out together as husband Paul "towed'' Samantha behind his bike in a special baby carriage, and Melanie would run while training for the Bermuda Triathlon.

"I always wanted my child to participate in sport, so I would pick things we could all do together.'' Motherhood has obviously not been detrimental to her athletic career, but did the whole process of pregnancy, then childbirth actually make a difference? "I definitely feel structurally stronger. There is a lot of strenuous activity involved with a baby or young child - a lot of lifting and carrying.

I'm very active with my child, and not the type to sit in front of the TV all day.'' Last May Claude ran 1:34:15 in the Marathon Derby to place sixth female overall, was second in the Duathlon (run-bike-run) and later in the year placed fourth female in the Bermuda Triathlon.

Dawn Robinson gave birth to son Bradley on March 22, 1989, and the aerobics instructor commenced a new life training-wise, apart from the other more obvious changes.

"Soon after giving birth I wanted to get fit again, but I felt awful to begin with, and my cardio-vascular was down considerably.'' "I become more organised with my training, as I had little spare time with the baby. I'm getting stronger and stronger, and whether I can attribute that to having a child or just getting older I don't know.'' Robinson actually completed the 1988 Bermuda Triathlon while three months pregnant. Last year she placed 16th female in a time of 2:09:54 and represented Bermuda in the 1992 Triathlon World Championships held in Muskoka, Canada.

"After Bradley came I thought, `Now I've got a little boy, I can get fat and happy', but that didn't last long. I began to take training more seriously, and became more disciplined. You realise how much sparetime you had when you were single. Now most of my training is done early in the morning before Bradley wakes up. It makes your character stronger, so you are more determined.'' Karen Robson, wife of The Royal Gazette assistant editor Adrian Robson, recently gave birth to their second boy, Sam, a brother for Oliver. Just four weeks later she ran, and finished, a strenuous cross-country race in Warwick that involved numerous steep inclines up the infamous Warwick dunes.

"I was just itching to get running again after eleven months, but I wouldn't have gone if I'd known how tough it was going to be!'' Robson "staggered around'' and although listed as coming in last, noted that one other woman did pull out.

While not too sure about whether improvement takes place, she is certain about one aspect of having children.

"It makes marathons seem like a doddle after the pain of childbirth. Whenever I'm struggling in a race I think about the pain of giving birth, and then have a laugh to myself!'' Other top local women athletes who have just become mothers include track runner Donna Watson and triathlete Julia Hawley. Time will tell what effect this has on them, but motherhood clearly brings about some major changes.

From a medical point of view, doctors advise women to wait at least six weeks before they resume any kind of training after childbirth. Training during pregnancy, again, should be treated cautiously, and not without proper medical advice.

Whether or not women run faster after childbirth is still a subject that requires greater research, but the one common link among the local women is that they all utilise their training time more effectively. Quality training is the key when time is precious, so perhaps this alone could be a factor.

Whatever else, it is good to see entire families now taking part in races, and racing well. Expect to see a few mothers offering some stiff competition this International Race Weekend.

FAMILY AFFAIR: From the left, Melanie Claude and daughter Samantha, Dawn Robinson and son Bradley, and Debbie Butterfield with sons Spencer and Tyler.

RG MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1993