This woman ran a marathon without a tampon to fight period-shaming

When Kiran Gandhi, drummer for singer M.I.A. and the Thievary Corporation got her periods just the night before the London marathon, she wasn't sure at first if she would be able to run. But then she decided to go for it anyway - without wearing a sanitary pad or a tampon. By doing this, she felt that she could raise awareness about women, who have no access to feminine hygiene products and hoped to break taboos surrounding menstrutation.

"I ran the whole marathon with my period blood running down my legs," the 26-year-old wrote of her first marathon experience on her website. She went on to explain that she felt that a tampon would be uncomfortable while she ran. But apart from that she also wanted to run for her “sisters who don't have access to tampons and sisters who, despite cramping and pain, hide it away and pretend like it doesn't exist."

This was her way to show to the world that "on the marathon course, sexism can be beaten." Admitting that though she had period cramps and was anxious about the race, she still “felt very empowered” finishing it on her own terms, as told to the Cosmopolitan.

Gandhi, who was clad in all pink for breast cancer awareness, finished the race in four hours, 49 minutes and 11 seconds. She had spent a year preparing for the race. She also put up photos of herself with family and friends, after the race, wearing her period-stained running pants proudly, on her blog.