Mansplaining phenomenon

Men explain to an athlete how she runs better

The tips from men to top athlete Julia Mayer made many a reader smile.(Bild: EVA MANHART / APA / picturedesk.com, facebook.com, Krone KREATIV)

Julia Mayer ran the Vienna City Marathon in a time of 2:31:25 hours - despite having her period. Numerous unsolicited tips from men on how she could have done better were not long in coming. The phenomenon is not new and is known as "mansplaining".

If you read the latest news articles on social networks and the comments underneath, you can't help but notice runner Julia Mayer. The 31-year-old from Bad Fischau only started running six years ago and has been winning one race after another ever since. Mayer is already a 20-time national champion and holds four Austrian records. She also finished the Vienna City Marathon last weekend in tenth place and as the second-best European.

"It was a tough match. I ran with my period again, the last two days were already tough," explained the top athlete after the event. Even in view of this, she had "run a really great race. I'm insanely proud of my body today." In 2020, she took a leave of absence as a teacher and has been a professional athlete ever since. So you'd think Julia Mayer knows what she's doing, wouldn't you? But that's exactly what some men seem to deny her.