Members of the Sisters With Blisters run across the Ann Richards-Congress Avenue Bridge this morning wearing collars and hoisting gavels to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Pam LeBlanc photo


Tiny wooden gavels in hand and elaborate hand-sewn collars around their necks, a group of runners dressed in black made their way through downtown Austin this morning.
The women, the word VOTE printed in white across the back of their shirts, made two laps around the Capitol building, then paused to do planks before dashing back down Congress Avenue. They passed the statue of Angelina Eberly, an innkeeper who fired a cannon at the General Land Office to stave off a rebellion and preserve Austin as the capitol of Texas, then hustled across the Ann W. Richards-Congress Avenue Bridge before finishing near Zilker Park.

The group ran past this statue of Angelina Eberly, who shot a cannon to prevent a rebellion and keep Austin the capitol of Texas. Pam LeBlanc photo


Sisters With Blisters running group member Amy Moore helped organized the run after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18. Another member, Marni Francell, sewed the collars worn by many of the runners.
“I wanted to gather us together to honor RBG because after she passed away we were all feeling pretty down and this was something positive we could put out in the world,” Moore said.
The women have been running together for about eight years. An entourage of husbands, children and friends cheered the women on and snapped photos as they ran.

The runners pause in front of the Capitol to hoist their gavels. Pam LeBlanc photo


Moore designed the route so the runners would hit 5 miles at the Capitol to honor RBG’s five Supreme Court victories. They held a plank for 87 seconds, and ran a total of 8.7 miles to honor the justice’s 87 years of life lived in service to the country.
“Doing this was important to me because I was born a few years before my mom could get a credit card on her own, and I am not that old,” Moore said. “It was important to me to honor RBG’s life of always fighting for equality. Her legal work over her entire lifetime paved the way for my life to be easier than my mom’s or grandmother’s. I wanted to honor her so we don’t forget our recent history and her intelligence, feistiness and service to the U.S.”
The group plans to repeat the run in a few weeks.

Marni Francell leads the group as they run in front of the Capitol. Pam LeBlanc photo

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