“Dare to be yourself. Take risks. And don’t think too much about the consequences.”
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ANNE ROSNER is a Conference Interpreter at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization HQ in Brussels. She has worked as a professional linguist/interpreter since 1990, with diplomas in interpretation and translation from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. and a Master’s Degree (M.A.) in Applied Languages from the University of Tours, France.
Anne also put on a running race for NATO staff to raise awareness about their critical work on UNSCR 1325 and NATO’s Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Additionally, Anne qualified to run in the 2017 Boston Marathon and works with 261 Fearless, Inc. — a global non-profit organization that uses running as a vehicle to empower and unite women globally through the creation of communication platforms, clubs, training opportunities, ambassadors, merchandising and events.
A NOTE FROM ANNE:
On April 17, 2017 I will be at the starting line of the Boston marathon and I will be running alongside Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to ever run this event. This year is the 50th anniversary of Switzer’s run in that epic Boston Marathon and the legendary runner herself will be running. I am very grateful to be part of her team.
The Boston Marathon is one of the most prestigious running events in the world. One of the reasons why is because you can’t just sign up and run it: you have to qualify. This can be done either by achieving a certain qualifying time for your gender and age group or by raising funds for one of several charities that are granted bib numbers. I wanted to qualify through both ways!
I am already half-way there. I achieved the qualifying time at the Reykjavik marathon last August and I will now raise funds for Kathrine’s non-profit organization called 261 Fearless, Inc.
Number 261 is the number Switzer wore in 1967 when she fearlessly ran the Boston Marathon. At that time, the event was for men only, and at one point Switzer was nearly physically removed from the race by an official, but she kept on going. Even though she was terrified and humiliated, Switzer got away from the official, thanks to help from her teammates, and went on to finish the race. The bib number 261 stayed proudly on her front and back replete with a tear in the top right corner where the official had tried to grab hold of her.
261 Fearless, Inc. is a global non-profit organization that uses running as a vehicle to empower and unite women globally through the creation of communication platforms, clubs, training opportunities, ambassadors, merchandising and events. Through these networking opportunities, 261 Fearless breaks down the barriers of geography and creates a global community for women runners of all abilities to support and talk to each other, encouraging healthy living and a positive sense of self and fearlessness.
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