Yes, I race like a girl… 
#iracelikeagirl

As a lady in her prime (50s) I have seen the rise and fall and stigma associated with being a voice for equality - from my early 70s awakening (seeing the rewards and inclusion guys were offered over gals, example high school sports) I think we need to really focus on girl being not a negative connotation but strong and equal. I liken the analogy of girl to boy - boy has many negative cultural stereotypes often used to degrade men of certain race/ethnicity.  Girl is equally submissive UNLESS we change it to denote our inner girl prior to awakening to the reality of the inequality in life.  Girls at the preteen age are often fearless until we tell them they are too heavy, not good at math, must act lady like when speaking up and out etc - thus reframing girl to mean fearlessness, strength and compassion and ruler of the world perhaps!  Just my two cents.  - Catherine Owen and #iracelikeagirl

​Woman for me refers to somebody adult and more responsible . I consider myself as a girl as I'm trying to pursue my dreams and live the life as joyful as possible. - Veronika Špaleková and #iracelikeagirl

Depending on the setting and context, I usually feel strongly that when folks (men-folks in particular) refer to a woman as a girl, it's a subconscious way to assert power and make women seem less than they are. I look at iracelikeagirl as a way for women to reclaim their power and the use of the word through showing off their female badassery in sport. I'm proud of these girls and proud to #racelikeagirl.   - Kalyn Weber and #iracelikeagirl

So, being older I like the term “girl” in relation to triathlon.  It makes me feel like I am holding on to my youth.  When referred to as a “woman”  it makes me feel somewhat old and that I should not be doing crazy things like an “Ironman”.  Being referred to as a woman sometimes makes me more conservative in my decisions and actions, like we have to grow up and not feel empowered like the “young girls”  While both terms are acceptable and neither bothers me.  When I am referred to as a girl I feel like I get my youth back and get to do the impossible while still being looked at as a woman.  I had children young (24) so I only started taking care of myself at age 44 when the children were finally self sufficient.  So, I was not able to be a girl I stepped right into being a woman.  Now I am an empowered woman acting like a girl. - Stacy Sloan and #iracelikeagirl

I’m not sure I really have any anecdotal comments that will help you with the project you are working on regarding girl vs woman. I have a hard time with gender binaries as it is, so the fact that we are trying to challenge “reduce” a stigma regarding the terms girl vs woman is interesting to me. I would probably prefer to take the challenge to remove the stigma even higher to the overall concept of what it is to be female vs male.

I probably need to tell you that I have a transgendered child who challenges me everyday to think beyond the binary of male vs female and to just accept people for who they are and the potential they have within. I race like a girl to me was a way to perhaps fight the concept that females could not compete at the level that male could but I instead would compete to the highest level I could regardless of my gender. I compete with and I strive to improve myself against myself…just me and me alone. I am inspired with life stories like that of Chris Mosier and other transgendered athletes. We must get beyond boy vs girls or man vs woman. - Jenn Campbell and #iracelikeagirl

To me, as an older girl, racing like a girl means racing for fun, uninhibited and in a playful way, like I would have in my early youth. I also love that the phrase is taking back the disrespectful comments associating being a girl with being weak…. “She throws like a girl… she fights like a girl…” Taking back and being strong in racing fiercely like girls can, is awesome. Every woman knows that females are the tougher ones of our species. We bear the babies. We have endurance and passion that guys don’t always have. I race like a girl: I race for fun. I race like a fierce strong beastly female! - Jenny Ayers and #iracelikeagirl

To me being a woman means having grown up and accepted society's definition of who I’m supposed to be - a mother a wife an employee. Being a girl represents to me the acknowledgment that I can still have the care free uninhibited spirit of a girl. It’s ok to still feel like a girl inside no matter what age I am. :) - Laura Clark and #iracelikeagirl

The idea of being a ‘girl’ versus a ‘woman’ has so many negative connotations for many people.  But, when I think of being a girl, I think of how I felt as a young woman:  fearless, determined, spirited, and playful.  Why do we think that being a ‘girl’ should be a bad thing?  One of the things I love most about triathlon, especially biking (for me personally), is racing like a GIRL not a woman.  When I’m racing--feeling the wind on my face, the power in my body, the spirit driving me forward—I feel unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with.  But, I also feel inspired and joyous, even when I’m hurting and even when it seems miserable. When you cross that finish line, the day seems full and accomplished.  That’s the GIRL still hidden in this woman’s body.  The GIRL is the force of energy, inspiration, grit, and tenacity.   She’s the one who smiles at all the people and tells them “you’ve got this” as she is racing.  She’s the one who soars as she’s racing downhill going 45mph.  And she’s the one who gets me across that finish line and collapses at the end in a pile of sweat.  I love racing like a girl! - Diane Nestande and #iracelikeagirl

I love the use of GIRL vs. woman. I think in recent years, our gender has been able to reclaim the word as a descriptor of power and strength vs. the previous times where being called a girl might have had a much more weak connotation. In fact, I love the idea of taking that connotation and “shoving it” to society and show that we can be and are in many ways stronger than our male counterparts. I think that in a very male dominated historical society which is currently seeing even more of a resurgence of gender discrimination in the era of Trump, it is even more important to come together and show these boys what we can do!

     Beyonce may have said it best  “who runs the world? GIRLS” So for me, iracelikeagirl = strength, iracelikeagirl = power, iracelikeagirl = breaking through boundaries, iracelikeagirl = showing a male dominated sport that we belong and we are strong, iracelikeagirl = empowerment - Colleen Schaible and #iracelikeagirl

I often refer to myself and my friends as "girls" or "chicks" not a "woman" or "women".   A girl is a younger version of a female - and by younger, I mean not in age, but in heart.  A girl can be 20 or a girl can be 60.  It's not age, it's attitude.  A girl is lively, strong, and fierce.  A girl lives life out loud and with confidence, zest, vigor, and flavor. A girl is that unassuming 38 year old in perky pig tails and a trucker hat with a bright smile who will be the first to confidently step up to any challenge with intense eyes....and win. 

My grandmother died last year at 97.  Up to the day she died, she wore lipstick to bed because she said, "you never know who will visit you in your dreams."  She also repeatedly told me, "Remember, always be the most beautiful person in the room even when you look your worst."    That's a girl.  - Victoria Chenault and #iracelkeagirl

For me the phrase “I race like a girl” is used proudly. I am modelling behaviours for my daughters and granddaughters. Showing them that even their Nana at 60 years of age still wants to racelike a girl”.
My granddaughters see that Mommy and Nana are two little girls who grew up to be bigger and stronger girls. The word girls gives us the freedom to have fun while training and racing. I know that personally I will continue to race like a girl as long as I can. - Karen MacDonald Carey, and #iracelikeagirl

One thing I've noticed recently is the movement to put "girl" in the title of books... 538 even did an article about it: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-gone-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-on-the-train/
I get slightly upset when the word "girl" is used in technical settings, like calling the women who did all of the calculations at the beginning of the space race girls in the title of a book (Rise of the Rocket Girls).  But somehow in the sense of athletics, I feel like it's okay because you're challenging the stereotype.  Somehow it's "bad" to run like a girl or throw like a girl, and by using it in the team name we're reclaiming it as a sense of pride.  Because we do race like girls, and we're kicking ass!  :) - Katherine Pratt, and #iracelikeagirl