Maggie Mertens

Seattle

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Freelance | Writing about gender, culture, bodies, health, sport, etc. for @theAtlantic @npr @SInow | Author @algonquinbooks | Half of @Gilmore_Women | She/her

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Articles

Title IX federal investigation clashes with WA gender identity laws

1 week ago | cascadepbs.org | Maggie Mertens

Washington’s OSPI first caught the federal government’s attention thanks to the release of findings from a yearslong investigation into a discrimination complaint against La Center School District in Clark County.
Maggie Mertens

1 week ago | cascadepbs.org | Maggie Mertens

Maggie Mertens is an independent journalist in Seattle who covers the intersection of culture, sports and gender for media outlets across the country. She is the author of Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women (Algonquin Books 2024). She can be reached on Bluesky at @maggiemertens.bsky.social‬.
Checking in on our 'Plan to Get Fit by the Fall'

2 months ago | thehalfmarathoner.com | Terrell Johnson |Maggie Mertens

A quick note before we get started: if you find yourself struggling with motivation to run, or just needing an extra boost to keep you inspired, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid member of The Half Marathoner. Every week, we share thoughts and stories that keep us going, as well as races and places I think you’ll love running across the U.S. and around the world.
A Christmas Episode About Getting Divorced

Sep 17, 2024 | gilmorewomen.substack.com | Maggie Mertens

Welcome to Gilmore Women: Two journalists discuss everything that’s wrong with every episode of Gilmore Girls & why we still love it.
A Dam-Break Moment for Women in Olympics

Aug 10, 2024 | msn.com | Maggie Mertens

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The Marathon That Changed How the World Saw Women Runners

Aug 10, 2024 | theatlantic.com | Maggie Mertens

When Joan Benoit Samuelson was born, in 1957, the longest race that women were allowed to compete in at any international sporting event was 800 meters—well under a mile—according to the international track-and-field federation’s rules. Twenty-seven years later, the longest race was a marathon. Benoit Samuelson ran it in the Olympics and won gold, proving to the world all that women were capable of.
A new generation of elite female runners embraces strength over thinness

Aug 8, 2024 | boisestatepublicradio.org | Maggie Mertens

When Olympic heptathlete Chari Hawkins was competing in college she says she constantly judged the way her body looked. “What’s so crazy is how much it got in the way of my performance,” she told the Voice in Sport podcast in 2022. “I was so worried about what my body looked like that I wasn’t focused on what it could actually do.” When Hawkins hits the track this week in Paris, though, she’ll do so with a changed mindset. She's said she now values nourishing her body’s capacities.
The New Quarter-Life Crisis - The Atlantic

Apr 23, 2024 | theatlantic.com | Maggie Mertens

Running a marathon has become a milestone for a growing number of young adults.
Friendship Advice That Might Surprise You

Jul 1, 2023 | newyorkfolk.com | James White |Olga Khazan |Maggie Mertens