Woman's History Month

K. V. Switzer, #261

“I wasn’t running Boston to prove anything; I was just a kid who wanted to run her first marathon.” –Kathrine Switzer

         

            1967 was a dynamic year for progress and social change. 1967 saw the appointment of the first Black Supreme Court Justice, the honorable Thurgood Marshall. The Supreme Court ended laws banning interracial marriage. It was the year Aretha Franklin released R.E.S.P.E.C.T., which is fitting in light of what I have learned about Kathrine Switzer. On Patriot’s Day of that year, as is true every year since 1897, the 71^st Boston Marathon was run in Boston, Massachusetts. A man by the name of Dave McKenzie won that year with an impressive time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. A lesser known and quieter victory is that of K. V. Switzer, who was the first registered woman to run the Boston Marathon.

            Switzer did not technically break any rules by entering the race. There were not any official regulations against it; however, there were many beliefs that a woman should not participate in long distance runs because it would hurt her reproductive system. There is zero empirical information to support this claim, but it was the belief of the time. Kathrine trained hard, even out running her trainer during her distance trial, 3 weeks before the race, by running an extra 5 miles, 31 miles total. Her trainer, Arnie, a seasoned marathoner, passed out from the massive effort of running the distance with her.

            When race day finally arrived, Kathrine was ready and confident, albeit, humbled by the gifted athletes she was running alongside. She received overwhelming support and encouragement from her male peers, one of who stated, “It is great to have a girl out here. I wish I could convince my wife to run.” A few miles into the race, her group was approached by the flatbed press truck. The reporters soon realized there was a woman in their midst and began rapidly asking her questions and taking her picture. She waved gregariously, happy to be part of such a prestigious race. The Marathon Director, Jock Semple, was aboard this truck. When he realized a female had entered the race, he jumped from the truck and ran after Kathrine. He pawed at her and tried to rip off her numbers, all the while screaming, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers!” Kathrine kept running. Her companions and fellow racers came to her defense. She kept running. The press tuck caught up to her again, but this time the questions asked were far less positive……”So, when are you going to quit?” and “What are you trying to prove?”

            Kathrine had not started the race trying to prove anything. She was simply a runner who wanted the opportunity to run a marathon, which is a big deal among runners. She did finish the race that day. In 1972, women were officially allowed to enter and race the Boston Marathon. Kathrine’s determination that day was instrumental in this rule change. Kathrine Switzer says it best when she describes what she was thinking during the race:

“The distance, as it always does, gave me time to think and dissipated my anger. Jock Semple didn't take me seriously, and that's why he attacked me. I wondered why other women didn't run, thinking that they just didn't get it. Wait a minute, maybe they believed all those old myths like running ruins your reproductive organs, and it scared them away because they didn't know better and nobody gave them opportunities to disprove this nonsense. My folks and Arnie had given me this chance, and it dawned on me that I was not special after all; just lucky. My thinking rolled on: The reason there are no intercollegiate sports for women at big universities, no scholarships, prize money, or any races longer than 800 meters is because women don't have the opportunities to prove they want those things. If they could just take part, they'd feel the power and accomplishment and the situation would change. After what happened today, I felt responsible to create those opportunities. I felt elated, like I'd made a great discovery. In fact, I had.”

Kathrine Switzer is absolutely right. Some women do not know their power. They do not know that they can do it. I hope Kathrine’s story empowers women and men both the way it has empowered me, and I certainly hope to make an impact like she did. I am quite enamored of this woman and her tenacity. Sometimes we don't know the difference we are making until we are right in the middle of the fray. Sometimes we just want to run the race too and end up kicking a hornets' nest.

References:

Switzer, K. “The Girl Who Started It All”. Runner’s World. March 26, 2007.

PBS. “MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA”.  Aired on: 2/26/13.