I always see 30K as the breaking point for marathon training. What if someone came along today and said, “Women can’t run more than 800 meters, there’s been a mistake”? How’s your Boston training going? Since the turn of the century, I’ve been shaking my head a little bit because young women today don’t understand that all the rights and freedoms they enjoy were hard-fought. How does the renewed activism today remind you of what you experienced during the women’s running revolution? After that first race, I had a whole life plan about creating opportunities and becoming a better athlete. The race, in a funny way, has given me everything-my inspiration, my feistiness, a career path. Kathrine Switzer, what does the Boston Marathon mean to you? From starting the Avon International Running Circuit for women in the ’70s to lobbying to have the women’s marathon included in the Olympics in the ’80s, any woman who toes the line at a race today does so because of Switzer’s efforts.
That’s when Switzer realized she wanted to empower other women through running. The course of Switzer’s life crystallized the moment race director Jock Semple tried to rip off her race bib, number 261. In 1967 the now 70-year-old runner was the first woman to run the race as a registered entrant (in 1966 Bobbi Gibb was the first female to run the Boston Marathon, but she was denied a registration). In April, Kathrine Switzer-athlete, activist, author, Emmy award-winning television commentator and founder of the nonprofit 261 Fearless-will run the Boston Marathon again. Kathrine Switzer poses with a replica of her first Boston Marathon bib number 261. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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