People always talk about three hills at Boston, but there are actually four. You can say it’s Wellesley, with everyone cheering, but I think it’s the moment you come over Heartbreak Hill, and you feel like you’re going to get there. What is your favorite part of the Boston Marathon course and why? I’m a 70-year-old woman running through the streets of New York-that’s not unusual! When I run it though, it won’t be a big deal. I helped to get it on the streets in 1976, but then I was asked to do the commentary. I won the New York City Marathon in 1974, but that was when it was in Central Park. After this, I really want to take the training and do a few races that I have always longed to do and even helped to create. Only a few little niggles, which, of course, at this stage you get totally psyched out about those. Having said that, the training has been going well. ![]() That said, the last 10K of a marathon is still the last 10K of a marathon. I thought, “Oh boy, this is going to be interesting!” But once you start running, you always feel better. I don’t have a performance goal, but I don’t want to be out there for six hours! There are two objectives: the first is to get to the start line healthy, with as little fatigue as possible, which is hard, because there are so many demands on my time. To be there in Boston to celebrate that moment, the place where it all began, is extremely gratifying and validating.ĭo you have a performance goal in mind for this race? It’s a phenomenal social revolution, and it has happened in my lifetime. Fifty years later, women make up almost half the field at Boston. SWITZER: First of all, I’m very grateful that I’m healthy enough to attempt it. OUTSIDE: What does it mean to you to run Boston again this year? We caught up with Switzer about the 1967 race, her plans for this year’s marathon, and the broader landscape of women in sports. She has also authored three books, commentated for hundreds of races, including the Olympics, and started a nonprofit called 261 Fearless, dedicated to “empowering women around the world through the transformative vehicle of running.” (Switzer’s bib number in 1967 was 261.) At this year’s Boston Marathon, on April 17, the 50th anniversary of her historic run, Switzer will toe the line in Hopkinton in celebration of the progress women have made in distance running. Switzer won the New York City Marathon in 1974 and placed second at Boston in 1975. Since then, she’s gone on to run dozens of marathons. The famous photo of a race official attempting to pull her off the course is now iconic, representing what became Switzer’s lifelong fight for women’s inclusion in distance running. While we know it is not enough, we bow low and say "thank you" to Kathrine for paving the way for so many.In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon, when it was still a men’s-only event. Kathrine has been leading change for women in sport for decades, and it was an honor for us to chat with her. With Boston postponed this year until September, we hope this interview, rich in history from Boston, will tide you over until then. ![]() Kara and Shanna lead this interview and get to it all. ![]() Jock would not succeed, but the iconic photo of him trying would create an indelible image that would change the future of women in sport forever.įrom that day forward Kathrine became a catalyst for change, leading the way for women to be able to officially race in the NYC and Boston Marathons as well as the Olympics, all while continuing to compete and win races herself. During the race, she was attacked by race official Jock Semple who tried to pull her off the course. On April 19th, 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to officially finish the Boston Marathon in a time of 4 hours and 20 minutes.
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