Milo and the Calf

Seventies Running Hero: Katherine Switzer

The seventies were about short shorts, and running mega mileage, but they were also about the changing nature of the sport of marathoning.

No one exemplifies that more than Katherine Switzer.  Katherine Switzer is because was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, she did it in 1967, finishing in a time of roughly 4:20. Switzer entered the race with the gender neutral name of “K.V. Switzer” and when race director Jock Semple figured out she was a woman, he freaked, and tried to pull her from the course. Physically. When he went to grab Switzer, he was stopped by Switzer’s boyfriend, Tom Miller. The photo of this altercation is one of the most famous in marathoning:

Switzer escaping the clutches of Jock Semple, with some help from Tom Miller, photo: AP

Hard to tell here if Switzer was a heel striker, or just off balance from the hit by Semple.

Switzer didn’t stop at being the first woman to run Boston, she went on to have a long and storied career in running, capping it off with a win in the 1974 New York Marathon in a time of 3:07:29. Check out Katherine’s website here.

Nice work Katharine, on shattering the gender divide in endurance sports and dropping an hour and ten minutes off your marathon time!

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  1. 2010 in review « Just The Distance

    […] Seventies Running Hero: Katherine Switzer March 2010 4 […]

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  2. Janine F.

    It should noted that in 1966 Roberta Gibb was the first woman to break the gender barrier at Boston. It should also be noted that although Kathrine Switzer did indeed wear a number in 1967, women were not permitted to officially enter until 1972.

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    1. seanv2

      All very good points, Janine. It is still shocking that it took until 1972 for women to be allowed to officially enter the race. I like many runners, am in awe of the legends of the Boston Marathon, but the treatment of women athletes is a real blemish on a great race.

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