Pioneer of women's running: Frenchwoman Lucie Bréard
Spiridon No. 70 - international running magazine - Oct-Nov 1983
Women's running is not what it used to be today.
At a time when women's athletics was still a struggle, she established herself as one of the first international champions, breaking record after record and becoming the first French gold medalist at the 1922 Women's World Games, the ancestors of the women's Olympics. Yet, her name remains unjustly forgotten today.
While women's running is now a given, it is essential to remember those pioneers who defied prohibitions so that future generations could run freely. Let’s delve together into the fascinating history of Lucie Bréard, an extraordinary athlete who never ran for glory, but always for pleasure... and victory. Spiridon shared an article in October 1983.
“Authorized” to run the 800m at the 1960 Games, and then the 1500m at the 1968 Games, women have just been able to compete in the European championship and then the world marathon championship back-to-back. While awaiting their first Olympic marathon, it is worth taking a look back.
But not to mention what everyone now knows: the Boston Marathon and Kathrine Switzer in 1967, the clandestine runners of Morat-Fribourg (where we find Kathrine Switzer!), the influence of Dr. van Aaken, the pioneers that were the Australian Beames, the Americans Gibbs, Kuscsik, Boitano, Ullyot, the Italian Pigni, the German Vahlensieck, the Hungarian Monspart, the French women Baudein, Scharff, Schoving, Seigneuric, Langlacé, Loir... and all those who followed.
But if we look further back, even before the 800m in Rome, what do we find? Just that 800m of the 1928 Games, where, poorly trained, several women collapsed as soon as they crossed the finish line. Which the world press seized upon, with the success we know.
One of our readers, Jacques Carmelli, a passionate statistician, took the trouble to go back even further, discovering nothing less than that one of the greatest pioneers of women’s running is a French woman: Lucie Bréard, who lives today near Toulon, where Carmelli met her. -NT
For 1920 as for 1924, they had been refused invitations to participate in the Olympic Games. Faced with this obstinacy, the leaders of the F.S.F.I. (International Women’s Sports Federation) decided to organize Women's World Games. After the frustration of the Antwerp Games, a women's world meeting had been held in Monaco in 1921. This time, these Games took place in Paris.
On this August 20, 1922, 20,000 spectators crowded into Pershing Stadium (whose track measured 500.30m in circumference), despite the stiff competition from the Paris swimming crossing. At the opening ceremony, Mrs. Paulette DeCroze asked, on behalf of the Women’s Federation of France, for authorization “to open the first Women's Olympiad in the world in Paris.” The president responded by proclaiming “the Paris women’s Olympic Games open.”
The competitions took place under the supervision of Émile Anthoine, judge-referee and head of the jury. The organization was considered “perfect, without foreign help.” The only drawback: there were too many officials on the track (about thirty).
The performances were remarkable: official world records fell one after the other, thanks to American, English, Czech, and Swiss athletes. But the day wore on, and still no French victory...
Then came the last event, the 1000m. Our chances were good: Georgette Lenoir seemed in shape, but Lucie Bréard, champion of France and therefore automatically qualified, had not been seen training at her club for three months.
Also in the running for this final race were: two Englishwomen, Phyllis Hall and Elisabeth Batt, as well as two Americans, Lucie Goldbold and Miss Snow.
The Americans led the first lap at a brisk pace, with the French women in their footsteps. At the 300m mark, Miss Snow was attacked by Lenoir, who had just overtaken Goldbold and Hall. In 5th position, Lucie Bréard had dropped Miss Batt, who was already in distress. Time at the 500m: Lenoir, 1:29 1/5, Goldbold 1:29 4/5, and Hall 1:30. Bréard seemed to be following effortlessly, while Snow fell back quickly.
On the second lap, Lenoir accelerated. Miss Goldbold, who had slowed down considerably, was distanced by Lenoir, to the point of being passed by Bréard. At the 800m mark, Lenoir was at 2:30 2/5, with a 5m lead over Bréard; Hall was more than 3 seconds behind, followed by Goldbold.
100m from the finish, Bréard pulled up alongside Lenoir, and it was a long neck-and-neck battle! Lenoir dove for the finish line, exhausted, and had to be revived in the locker rooms. But, as Pierre Pelletier indicates, Bréard managed to “beat her by very little.” And, while the exhausted competitors let themselves fall with fatigue once the finish line was crossed, Miss Bréard, “all joyful and smiling,” yielded to the request of a delighted crowd, and “took the luxury of running 500 meters more” for a victory lap!
Results: Bréard 3:12.0, Lenoir 3:12 1/5, Hall 3:25.0, Goldbold 3:28 3/5, then Batt and Snow. In other words, a world record - Lenoir held the old record at 3:17 2/5 – and three national records.
“Finally a French victory in the last event. And everyone felt satisfied. France had saved its honor.”
But who was Lucie Bréard?
Bréard, Lucie, Marie, was born on September 12, 1902, in Paris, into a modest family. Her father was successively a “sailor,” at the Grande Roue, an office clerk at the Compagnie des Petites Voitures, before working at Peugeot. Her mother was a head linen maid at Le Bon Marché.
Lucie attended school normally until she obtained her primary school certificate, which was no small feat at the time... And very early on, she began to work by painting lead soldiers. Then her parents introduced her to a music publisher, Leduc, on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, who took her on trial for a two-week replacement. And he would keep her for 44 years, until 1962.
In 1917, a work friend took her to the Gymnase on Rue du Bac, which she attended regularly from then on, while managing her parents' reluctance. She first did trapeze to strengthen her arms. And, for better body balance — an idea dear to Mrs. Milliat — she practiced throwing with both arms.
That is how Lucie Bréard discovered the Fémina Sports club, the Porte d’Orléans stadium, and its director, Mr. Payssé. Lucie ran for pleasure, without apparent effort. Even then, only victory interested her, not the time.
One day in 1920, she was asked to replace a club comrade at short notice for the French cross-country championships, which took place in Antony over about 3500m. Lucie donned the navy-blue uniform and put on the matching beret, emblazoned with the club’s initials. She gripped the handles in her hands to focus better. And the start was given!
Mr. Bréard, her father, who had accompanied her, went to wait near the finish line. Feverish, the officials called for spectators. That was how Mr. Bréard was entrusted with a small flag that he was to lower to announce the arrival of the winner. He waited with some anxiety and... whom did he see arriving? His daughter! Out of emotion, he dropped the flag...
From then on, no more obstacles for Lucie, who was allowed to go to the gymnasium two evenings a week to train. As well as at 5 o'clock in the morning, before going to work.
This first great victory would be celebrated even in newspapers across the Atlantic:
“Mlle Bréard, 17 years old, outran sixty competitors and won the Paris girls marathon.”
1920
On July 11, Lucie participated in the French championships, which took place in Montrouge. In 3:24.0, she set a new world record for the kilometer, even though she was still only a junior. With Delapierre, Welcker, and Th Brulé, her teammates from Fémina, she brought the 4x250m record to 2:39.0.
That year, she won the Deschanel cup, offered to the athlete who had obtained three victories on the same day.
“Since I liked this cup, I won the 80, the 250, and the 1000m!”
She would crown this first great season by winning, on December 19 in St-Cloud, the women’s federation cross-country race, with her club winning by team.
1921
On January 30, Lucie won the Verrières cross-country race. The prize for the first two was a... first flight with Sadi Lecointe. But the latter would be the victim of an accident shortly after, and Lucie would not be able to fly.
Cross-country races prepare for the track season, which begins very early, with the organization of the first Women's World Games in Monaco in March. From the 24th to the 31st, athletes from Great Britain, France, and Switzerland will meet on the 174m grass track at the Tir-au-Pigeon field. Eclecticism is the rule: Lucie is registered for the 60m, high jump, long jump, javelin, 65m hurdles, 250m, and 800m.
She would fall in the hurdles during the repechage, finish 3rd in the long jump, 5th in the javelin, 2nd in the 250m, but with an "admirable heart" would win the 800m on March 30th ahead of her great rival, the Englishwoman Mary Lines, in 2:30.2, a new world record.
Continuing on her momentum, Lucie would shine in the following months. On May 29, an official 500m record at Pershing in 1:33.4. On July 3, during the FFSF championships at Pershing, victory in the 300m in 46.8 and a world record in the kilometer in 3:20.6.
On July 17, at the Elisabeth stadium, Lucie won the 60m in 8.6. Finally, with her Fémina teammates (Delapierre, Boyer, and Th. Brulé), she set a 4x50m record in 28.6.
In Paris, on July 31, Fémina Sports de Paris met Fémina Sports de Genève, and Lucie won twice: the 250m in 38.4, ahead of Suzanne Liébrard, then the 1000m in 3:28.4, ahead of Cadies.
"Get out! Too many men..."
[...] The interest that the numerous supporters and film operators took in the female athletes showed how great the curiosity was. All the many officials who were invading the track gave me the impression of a swarm of bumblebees descending on flowerbeds, to such an extent that one voice was heard calling from the stands: "Get out! Too many men for a women's meeting!" It seemed to me that far too many people in the audience only had eyes for bare legs and thighs and not enough for the feats being performed. Those who were looking for a show got one, but they must have been disappointed, because it must be admitted that the performances were superior to the aesthetics.
[...] There is no doubt that before long, women will significantly improve their records because they still have much to learn in terms of style. But should we push them in this direction? Not yet. I believe it would be prejudicial to women to skip the steps that we ourselves took so long to climb. (...) The women's movement is still too recent for the athletes to have sufficient preparation for prolonged efforts such as the 300m and 1000m. Perhaps a time will come, after several generations, when women can afford the same efforts as us, but that moment has not yet arrived. (...)
Géo André, Le Miroir des Sports, late August 1922, document provided by F. and S. Laget, authors of the "Grand Livre du Sport féminin".
In very good form, she would line up on August 7 at the Pershing stadium for the 440 yards, a distance she had never run, and she won in 67.4, ahead of Gisclard and Liebon, passing the 400m mark in 66.8. Two new world records, followed by another in the 4x75m relay, in 42.8, with Delapierre, S. Liébrard and Th. Brulé, and a French record in the 4x100m, in 56.4, with Th. Brulé, S. Liébrard and Maugars for Fémina. A very busy day!
Lucie prepares for a new meeting with Lines. All the athletes are motivated, having received a letter such as this: "Miss, you have been selected for the France-England match for the following events: 1000m, 1st relay substitute. Your jersey will be at your disposal at the Federation headquarters starting Thursday the 27th. Important recommendation: you must realize the very great importance of this match, and the federation counts on you to do the impossible to make the French colors triumph, and that furthermore you will conscientiously state before the events if you feel sufficiently in form to defend our [sic] chances. It is a matter of winning a national victory. It is of the utmost importance to fight until the end."
The match took place at the Pershing stadium on October 30. The Englishwoman Lines would be the star of the meeting with three victories: in the 100 yards, 300m, and the 4x220 yards relay, plus a second place in the long jump. But Lines would avoid meeting Lucie Bréard in the 1000m, where Lucie would win in 3:27.4, ahead of Petit by 10m; she would also finish 4th in the 300m, a distance a little short for her.
England won 48 to 38.
1922 or the Games
The year 1922 would be planned by Lucie, who did not participate in the French cross-country championships and who changed her preparation and training to increase her chances. She no longer appeared at her club and went to train with the men.
The departure was around 6:00 PM, by bus, then by metro, heading to Fontenay-sous-Bois, near the Nogent fort, where she arrived around 7:30 PM.
For nearly three months, Lucie joined her #1 supporter, André Jurion, himself an excellent cross-country and 1500m runner, and the athletes of the CASG, "La Générale," as it was popularly known, which counted among its own Corlet, Manhès, and Isola.
Twice a week, training began by undressing in the back room of a café. The women first, then the men. The training consisted of varied runs, on all terrains, but one cannot speak of a schedule or a training plan. Lucie returned home around 10:00 PM for dinner. She would also very often benefit from the wise advice of Émile Anthoine.
And when she appeared on the track on August 20, as we have said, no one expected her anymore, no one believed in her. The club director even hesitated to have her compete in the 1000m.
After her victorious race, the manager of the American team came to offer her to go to a school for six months to perform demonstrations. But the Federation opposed it, on pain of disqualification.
Lucie was much sought after after the Games, and she participated in several meetings. Towards the end of the year, she presented herself with a letter from the president of the Federation, Alice Milliat, to collect her prize from Mr. Canale, at Quai de l'Horloge, who allowed the "bearer of this present note to choose a gold or ivory medal, if she prefers, under the conditions we have indicated."
The disqualification
Then the tragedy happened. After her victory, and perhaps a bit intoxicated, but certainly ignorant of the regulations, she met the thrower Raoul Paoli and the 400m runner Gaston Féry, who persuaded her to sign a license for the Olympique, a club that had a very nice stadium, the Stade Bergeyre, in the Buttes-Chaumont. Except that she was still licensed with Fémina-Sports.
The president of Fémina would not forgive her for it. After a quick disciplinary council, she received a one-year firm suspension. This measure would later (in June 1923) be reduced to six months to encourage her to participate in the France-England match. Lucie refused.
She was contacted again in 1926 — by a letter dated July 29, signed by the secretary of the FFSF — in these terms: "Miss, in view of the 2nd International Games which will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, we would be obliged if you would let us know by the evening of Thursday, August 2, if, in the event that you were selected, you would be able to travel from August 25 to September 7." Although in good form, Lucie refused.
— I had a stubborn Norman head, I said no!
Very disappointed, she later regretted not having accepted the offer to go to the United States.
The Olympique
In 1923, Lucie Bréard was at the Olympique. She participated in some meetings, but also turned to football. Her sister Suzanne joined her. Lucie was drawn to various sports: like most female athletes of the time, she was not what we call a specialist today. She also practiced "barrette" — the equivalent of rugby without the scrums — and basketball.
Lucie only did athletics as a dilettante, for pleasure or for her club. In football, she was an international several times, as a right winger, and she would continue to play for a few more years. For example, in Paris against England in 1935, and in Le Havre against Belgium in 1937.
Meanwhile, on July 15, 1924, Lucie Bréard married her #1 supporter, André Jurion, who worked like her in the Leduc music publishing house.
The family
The Bréard family was not particularly destined for sport, and yet Lucie was not alone:
— Yvonne was a talented skater during the era of the Norwegian Sonja Henie, but she was taken from her loved ones at the age of 20;
— Renée played football;
— Suzanne, born in 1906, could have succeeded her sister, as she shone in the kilometer with a time of 3’32” 2/5 in 1923. It is known that she joined Lucie on the Olympique football team;
— André, a promising 400m runner, died too young in Syria.
Nostalgia
Lucie Bréard remembers:
— For every victory, there was a trophy or a medal (which she generously gave away to those around her) and the only gift I ever received, in my entire career, apart from official awards, was a pair of spiked shoes, offered by my shoemaker, in exchange for an autographed photo!
She retired to Anjou with her husband. Since she has been on her own, she moved to Toulon. But while she no longer runs, she still follows sports, comments on team selections, participates actively in many associations for former athletes, and travels a lot. That is how she attended the 1976 Montreal Games, and is now preparing for Los Angeles.
Lucie Bréard, a great lady of athletics.
Jacques Carmelli (ASFA-ATFS)
Spiridon No. 70 - international running magazine - Oct-Nov 1983