At the 2004 Olympic Trials, Ann Gaffigan won the 3,000-meter steeplechase and set an American record. But the women’s steeplechase wasn’t yet an Olympic event, so it was only an exhibition event at the trials, and Gaffigan’s win didn’t earn her a ticket to the Olympics. It was the best day of her life, Gaffigan says, and she was proud of what she’d accomplished—but competing at the Olympics had been her childhood dream, and she didn’t get to go, despite the fact that men had been competing in the steeplechase at the Olympics for more than a century.  She channeled her drive to support women and girls in sports into a website called WomenTalkSports and other avenues, including serving on the USATF Athletes Advisory Committee from 2006 to 2019.