When Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to enter the Boston Marathon, in 1967, she knew she’d be chasing history. She didn’t expect to be chased off the course. Switzer was at mile two when race manager “Jock” Semple, infuriated by a woman infiltrating the male-only marathon, ran up and tried to shove her off the course, yelling, “Get the hell out of my race!” But with the help of more enlightened competitors, she fended off Semple and finished in just over 4 hours. To mark the 50th anniversary of her barrier-breaking run, Switzer, now 70, plans to repeat the 26.2 mile journey this month.
