Kathrine Switzer
Encyclopedia
Kathrine Switzer is the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry. She entered and completed the race in 1967, five years before women were officially allowed to compete in it. Her finishing time of approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes was nearly an hour behind the first female finisher, Bobbi Gibb
. She registered under the gender-neutral "K. V. Switzer". It was not done in an attempt to mislead the officials; she had long used "K. V. Switzer" to sign the articles she wrote for her college paper. Race official Jock Semple attempted to remove her from the race, and is noted to have shouted, "Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers." However, Switzer's boyfriend, who was running with her, shoved Semple aside and sent him flying. The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines.
As a result of her run, the AAU
barred women from all competition with male runners, on pain of losing the right to compete.
Switzer won the 1974 New York City Marathon
, with a time of 3:07:29. Her personal best time for the marathon distance is 2:51:37, at Boston in 1975.
Bobbi Gibb
Roberta Louise "Bobbi" Gibb is the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon . She is recognized by the Boston Athletic Association as the pre-sanctioned era women’s winner in 1966, 1967, and 1968...
. She registered under the gender-neutral "K. V. Switzer". It was not done in an attempt to mislead the officials; she had long used "K. V. Switzer" to sign the articles she wrote for her college paper. Race official Jock Semple attempted to remove her from the race, and is noted to have shouted, "Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers." However, Switzer's boyfriend, who was running with her, shoved Semple aside and sent him flying. The photographs taken of the incident made world headlines.
As a result of her run, the AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
barred women from all competition with male runners, on pain of losing the right to compete.
Switzer won the 1974 New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
, with a time of 3:07:29. Her personal best time for the marathon distance is 2:51:37, at Boston in 1975.
Achievements
- All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise
Representing the 1974 New York City Marathon New York City MarathonThe New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...New York, United States 1st 3:07:29 1975 Boston Marathon Boston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...Boston, Massachusetts, United States United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...2nd 2:51:27
External links
- Marathon Women - Morning EditionMorning EditionMorning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
, NPR (April 15, 2002) - Kathrine Switzer website
- Interview with "ATHLETE" (film) director David Lam
- The Story of the Marathon