What is Kathrine Switzer famous for?

A few people know that this woman is a writer and TV commentator because she is best known as the first female runner to participate in the famous Boston Marathon. Besides being the first marathon runner of the kind, she also worked a lot in order to provide other women with running opportunities.

Why an ordinary marathon runner became so famous? The thing is that women were not allowed to run this marathon. Officially, they were allowed to participate in it only in 1972.

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32 Comments

Sean Philips

How does the picture of a silk clad blonde relate to this question?

Rita Dee

and she was harassed the entire time, she did women a favor in breaking down some necessary walls.

Special Patrol Group

Kathrine Switzer is best known as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon wearing an official bib in 1967. Roberta Louise "Bobbi" Gibb was the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon (1966). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbi_Gibb

Howard Groopman

She registered as KV Switzer, mostly to avoid being identified as a woman, in 1967. She went to the same university as I did, getting her BA 4 years before me and her master's same year I got my BA. Coincidentally, I have a niece Katherine Switzer.

Pat Wells

She had to endure attempts to ban her from running marathons, including being physically assaulted by a race organizer. Her hammer throwing boyfriend at the time took down the organizer who tried to prevent Switzer from running. Hers is quite a story that is definitely worth reading.

Lisa Rodrigues

Back then, women were not allowed to run that distance because it was feared that the woman's uterus might fall out... I kid you not.

Coral Harvey

Well done that lady !

Irene Townsend

cjsrobertson, And for those that had never heard of her that picture didn't help

vonlora

for a change, the picture does not give away the answer

Player

Tamara Durant, the photo with the question not the two with the answer

Tamara Durant

Sean Philips, I don’t have that photo. I have Katherine running during the marathon.

Tamara Durant

You must have a different picture because I see Katherine during the marathon, cjsrobertson,

cjsrobertson

And that picture is not her.....

jack patti go

Congratulations!!!🎉🎊Katherine!

Nicholas Miernicki

Sean Philips, Well, the woman in the picture has some absolutely awesome legs, not that I noticed them or anything like that, because I was thinking about the Boston Marathon.