100 years later, the 1918 Dipsea Hike for women is a mostly forgotten chapter of sports history that showed female athletes were cut out for endurance events

In 1918, women were barred by the AAU and the Olympics from long-distance events. Women were thought to be too fragile. But the Dipsea Hike for women, starting in 1918 and lasting just five years, proved that theory was a bunch of malarkey. Eventually, however, the event was shut down by church groups and others who believed it was wrong. My story for ESPNW.com: http://www.espn.com/espnw/life-style/article/23251704/the-undercover-hike-existed-long-women-were-allowed-enter-distance-races