By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cheryl Sussell (from left), Robin Smith and Kathleen Grover are among the increasing numbers of women runners. Sunday's field for the Flying Pig Marathon is expected to be 41 percent female. The Cincinnati Enquirer/MICHAEL E. KEATING

Robin Smith scrawled the words on a sheet of stationery and it was decreed: I will run a marathon. She sealed the letter, written to herself at a women's leadership workshop in November, and by the time it was delivered to her Indian Hill home, she already had begun training for Sunday's Flying Pig Marathon.

She just didn't want to run alone. So Kathleen Grover - friend, co-worker, nine-time marathoner and impromptu trainer - vowed to motivate Smith to the end, even if it meant slipping into the race by Grover's Hyde Park home and pushing Smith 14 miles to the finish.

"At least I can offer a little moral support," Grover said. "There are certain things women will do to bend over backward to help with, especially for fellow women."

Running is among them. According to the United States of America Track and Field's 2004 Marathon Report, women made up 40 percent of all marathoners in 2003. They made up 10.5 percent of marathoners in 1980.

USATF, the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking, reports that in the last two years, more women are running than ever before - and not just marathons, but 10Ks and 5Ks - closing the gap between total male and female race finishers to about 50:50.

The Pig reflects the surge.

• Based on entries in this year's race, 41 percent of the marathon's field will be women.

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• Cincinnati.com Flying Pig Marathon section

• Sixty-three percent of the 10K field is female.

• Eighty-seven percent of walkers are female.

• The new Flying Pig 5K, sponsored by girls!Can should draw a 65 percent female field.

"The growth hasn't been a surprise," executive director Iris Simpson-Bush said. "By opening the walking division and adding the 5K, we thought they'd become pretty popular."

What is inspiring female runners? According to area women, staying fit and reaching goals are only two parts of the equation. Running unites all facets of their lives, inflating self-confidence, strengthening ties with family and friends and offering opportunities to shape communities through charity.

The average female marathon runner is 35, according to USATF, and chances are she doesn't have a second of her day to spare. Smith, wife of Geoff and mother of Delaney, 7, said the thrill of long-distance running comes partly from the "me" time it demands.

"This is all about you," said Smith, 44, who runs six days a week. "You get to focus on yourself and focus on the physical and the mental, so when you're done, you feel really great about you."

National health crazes and recent weight consciousness have piqued the interests of more runners than ever before, further debunking the myth that marathons are a men's sport. That's helped attract women like Mary Stelzer, 42, of Anderson Township.

Stelzer, a first-time entrant in Sunday's Pig, intentionally chose marathon running as a means of losing the 30 pounds she'd gained since quitting smoking three years ago. She selected the long-term running plan over contemporary exercise classes such as yoga and Pilates because she enjoyed the do-it-yourself training schedule and she "felt like I needed a fitness goal for myself, doing something I wanted to do."

The noncompetitive aspect of marathons among casual runners was mentioned by several Cincinnati women as an incentive. Smith, who never considered herself a natural athlete before training for the marathon, said achieving goals is another way for a woman to find personal fulfillment.

Kate Meiners doesn't care if this sounds silly: Women flock to running, she said, because it's the best sport to get in shape ... while socializing.

"You don't have to be quiet; you get to go out there and talk. You solve all of life's problems in a three-hour run," said Meiners, 48, of Springfield Township.

Meiners, who has run 21 marathons including six Pigs, is also an ultra-marathoner with four 50-milers to her credit. She runs with a co-ed group that concludes its workouts with coffee and bagels. Her training team is her social life and support system, she said.

Spending time with family holds another sort of appeal for women runners. The Flying Pig offers something for everyone, from the Flying Piglet to the 10K and 5K. There is no prize money for the Pig winners, which attracts a more relaxed racing pool than other elite marathons.

Mason resident Holly Kopcha watched her sister Staci run the Pig years ago and decided to train as a marathon walker. Her first marathon is Sunday's Pig. The running bug also has bitten her daughter Shannon, 8, who will run the Piglet.

"I got caught up in the excitement, and so did (Shannon)," said Kopcha, 32. "There's just so many different categories to encourage all kinds of fitness."

And then there's the coolness factor, said Cheryl Sussell of Milford, who is another friend of Smith's. It's the only sport in which you can participate alongside the world's best.

"In other sports, you just watch (the best) play. Here you can line up beside them on the starting line," said Sussell, 45. "Women runners are right there to inspire you."

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com