Kathrine Switzer

Life and work

The story behind the role.

Marathon pioneer and organiser who built events expanding opportunities for women runners.

Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947) is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator. In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor, having entered as "K.V. Switzer". Switzer's trainer Arnie Briggs, and her boyfriend Thomas Miller, were also in the race. During her run, the race manager Jock Semple assaulted Switzer, trying to grab her bib number and thereby remove her from official competition. Semple knocked Briggs down when Briggs tried to protect her, but Semple was then shoved to the ground by Miller; she completed the race. The attack was photographed and reported internationally. In response to her run, the AAU banned women from competing in races against men—women had not previously been explicitly excluded. Five years later, in 1972, women were first accepted officially to run the Boston Marathon. Switzer finished third in that 1972 race and Semple presented her with her trophy.

Encyclopaedic excerpts from Kathrine Switzer; shortened for length and available under CC BY-SA 4.0.