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Public Invited to Run Friday with Boston Marathon Pioneer Kathrine Switzer
Kathrine Switzer, who in 1967 became the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon – wearing bib number 261 – and is the founder of the global non-profit 261 Fearless, will be in Arlington this Friday to run with the 261 Fearless Club DC Metro/VA. The short, easy run will begin at 5:30 p.m.…Read More
City of Dunkirk, France Names Stadium to Honor Kathrine Switzer Running Pioneer
Dunkirk City Council and Mayor Patrice Vergriete recently dedicated their new stadium “Stade d’Athlétisme Kathrine Switzer” (“Kathrine Switzer Stadium”) during the official inauguration ceremonies which were held on September 14-15. “Kathrine Switzer made a very strong and symbolic statement when she competed in the 1967 Boston Marathon and paved the way for women to compete…Read More
Part-time Wellingtonian and women’s running hero Kathrine Switzer has French stadium named after her
A part-time Wellingtonian and women’s running trailblazer has had a stadium named after her in France. Kathrine Switzer was the first registered woman to run in the Boston Marathon, and spends half of her time in Wellington and the rest in her native United States. The stadium, in Dunkirk, was named Stade d’Athlétisme Kathrine Switzer, or Kathrine Switzer Stadium, in…Read More
Rosie Ruiz, the Boston Marathon winner who wasn’t, dies at 66
Hi Friends, All of us were shocked when Rosie Ruiz cheated in the 1980 Boston Marathon, especially me who was doing the coverage of the elite women in the race from a golf cart alongside and never saw her. But I grabbed her afterward and interviewed her, it became an interview in which she incriminated…Read More
The Beginning of a Movement
It was a chilly day in Boston on the morning of April 19, 1967. It had started to sleet, adding to the chill. Forgoing the more exposed t-shirt and shorts, most runners had decided to keep their sweatshirts and pants on. Among the runners was Kathrine Switzer, a 20-year-old woman, excited to run in her…Read More
Evolving Role
She didn’t know it at the time, but a photograph of Kathrine Switzer running in the 1967 Boston Marathon would become an iconic image for sports and women’s equality. The image showed Switzer, No. 261, in the middle of several men, as a race official attempts to pull her off the course. Switzer’s boyfriend, however,…Read More
Boston Marathon officials tried to pull her off the course, but Kathrine Switzer became the 1st woman to finish the race. Now she works to inspire other athletes.
She didn’t know it at the time, but a photograph of Kathrine Switzer running in the 1967 Boston Marathon would become an iconic image for sports and women’s equality. The image showed Switzer, No. 261, in the middle of several men, as a race official attempts to pull her off the course. Switzer’s boyfriend,…Read More
Kathrine Switzer
The controversy that swirled around this iconic event — a woman running in a men-only marathon — tends to diminish the athletic achievements of one of the world’s most renowned female runners. Kathrine went on to run Boston eight times, bettering her first time in 1967 of four hours 20 minutes down to 2 hours…Read More
Iconic Runner Hoping for a New Revolution
Four hours, 20 minutes. That was how long it took Boston Marathon participant No. 261 to run 26.2 miles on April 19, 1967 — a run taht catapulted 20-year-old Kathrine Switzer from anonymity to historical icon in her sport and for gender equality. As the first woman to officially register complete the race as a…Read More
Running, Thinking, and Writing
In a New York Times essay last March, Maine-based writer Caitlin Shetterly described her joy in gritty, cold winter runs and the way these runs often spark creative thoughts. “On a run, ideas will bubble up,” she wrote. “Like little ice floes in warming waters, they’ll drift unencumbered until I can see them gleaming in the sun.” Just…Read More
Interview with an Icon: Kathrine Switzer on Breaking Rules, Busting Myths and Being Called “Just a Jogger”
Last month, around 30,000 runners raced the Boston Marathon, with women making up about 45 percent of the field. But in 1967, there was only one woman with an official bib: Kathrine Switzer. Aside from training for months through the bleak winter, the 20-year-old journalism student had to break barriers, overcoming prejudice, criticism and ridicule just…Read More
The University of Lynchburg announces commencement speakers for graduation ceremonies
LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR News) – Tuesday morning the University of Lynchburg announced the commencement speakers for their spring graduation ceremonies. The University released the following information: Kathrine Switzer will speak at our Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18. In 1967, she became the first woman to enter and run the Boston Marathon, despite it being closed…Read More
Switzer continues to pave path for female runners
Thousands of women ran in the Boston Marathon this year, but back in 1967, 20-year-old Kathrine Switzer was the only woman on the course. Her decision to participate in the marathon that morning sparked a social revolution that has given women across the world the motivation to run for over 50 years. In 1967, Switzer…Read More
Kathrine, Switzer la primera mujer en correr oficialmente un maratón: “El running es un gran ejemplo de igualdad”
Amediados de diciembre del 1966, y mientras trotaban bajo una feroz tormenta de nieve, Kathrine Switzer tuvo una fuerte discusión con su veterano entrenador, Arnie Briggs. Por aquel entonces, Switzer tenía 19 años, estudiaba periodismo deportivo en la Universidad de Siracusa, Nueva York, y, como la institución no tenía disciplinas deportivas para mujeres, ella practicaba…Read More
72 and Still Fearless: Kathrine’s Going the Distance
Most Kiwis wouldn’t guess that, nestled in the hills of Wellington, a global sporting superstar has made a home. Thousands of kilometres away from the US, where she’s mobbed by fans, the world’s most famous female marathon runner enjoys a more laid-back life of dinner parties, movie nights and pounding the pavements of the windy…Read More
Kathrine Switzer: Feel Fearless and Free
Was there a moment in your career when you realized that you needed to reinvent yourself or alter the course of your career? How did you come to that decision? There were several, as life always throws you curve balls and you need to shift and adapt. At the time, these moments are usually something…Read More
8 Times Women in Sports Fought for Equality
On Friday, all 28 players on the United States women’s soccer team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation, an escalation in their increasingly public battle for equality. The players have said that they play more games than the men’s team — and win more of them — yet still receive less pay.…Read More
Kathrine Switzer: Dank ihr laufen Frauen heute Marathon
activebeauty: Warum war es Frauen damals verboten, Marathon zu laufen? Im Jahr 1967 gab es dazu nicht wirklich Regeln. Aber generell waren fast alle Sportarten den Männern vorbehalten. Frauen nahmen fast nie an Bewerben teil. Viele Leute glaubten: Eine Frau kann rein körperlich keine so weite Distanz schaffen. Oder sie würde sich dabei verletzen. Viele…Read More
Tips From The Top: One On One With Kathrine Switzer
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. What is something about you that would surprise people? Kathrine: I love to be in the garden and do gardening. And, I love to see the result. It’s kind…Read More
‘Never too old to be an athlete’: Husband and wife running icons join Marine Corps Marathon weekend
WASHINGTON — Running is about putting one foot in front of the other, no matter your age, say Kathrine Switzer and Roger Robinson — a husband and wife team known to many as royalty in the running world. In 1967, Switzer, now 71, became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered…Read More