The runner who became the hero and pioneer of women with her participation in the marathon: Who is Kathrine Switzer?

Her full name is Kathrine Virginia Switzer, she was born on January 5, 1947 in Amberg, Germany. She was born to her father, the daughter of a major in the United States Army. Returning to the United States with his family in 1949, Switzer graduated from George C. Marshall High School in Fairfax County, then enrolled at Lynchburg College. She enrolled in Syracuse University's journalism and English literature department in 1967. She gave importance to her education with undergraduate level in 1968 and graduate level in 1972 from university.

After transferring to college, Switzer sought permission to train in the men's cross country running program. Allowed to train, Switzer began training with assistant cross country coach Arnie Briggs. Despite Briggs' opinion that a marathon was too far for a "fragile woman" to run, Switzer continued her workouts, claiming the opposite.

Technically, the Boston Marathon's rulebook made no mention of the gender gap. But the rules of the AAU, which runs the marathon, widely declared that women are prohibited from running in official competitions. This exclusion of women from a leading track and field event posed great challenges.

Despite the ban, Switzer decided to run as an official competitor and registered for the 1967 Boston Marathon using the AAU number assigned to him. Then she paid the full race fee and gave the certificate of eligibility required for the race and the application signature she provided under the name "N.V.Switzerland" she. Switzer later said she signed the application "because I always sign my name" and asked a male runner to take his "261" bib before the race started.

Supported by her father, Switzer was supported and enthusiastically received by the other runners who gathered for the start on race day, which made Switzer feel "welcome". In the race, she ran with other competitors from the running club, including coach Arnie Briggs and boyfriend Tom Miller.

Before entering the race, Switzer chose to wear a hooded sweatshirt to cover her long hair and not attract attention. However, a few kilometers ahead of the track, her hoodie slipped and it was discovered that a woman had officially entered the Boston Marathon. In this case, John "Jock" Semple, one of the indispensable characters of the marathon and an angry Scottish-born former runner, stepped in. Volunteering to run the race for years, Semple tried to keep the event afloat during the years when the press and runners lost interest in the marathon. At the same time, a staunch traditionalist who saw the marathon as "sacred", Semple was known for her custom of furiously attacking after participants she didn't consider serious about the marathon and race, describing women who defy the rules as "weird".

Semple jumped onto the track when he saw Swtizer racing. She chased after Switzer and attacked her and tried to rip her number 261 bib from her running clothes to prevent her from continuing as an official competitor. But Semple was unable to remove Switzer's apron. With the support of Switzer's coach Arnie Briggs and Switzer's boyfriend Tom Miller, a former football player and national hammer thrower, she managed to get out of Semple.

Semple's attack on Switzer, who completed the marathon in approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes, was recorded by photographers and the melee on the course made international headlines. The symbolism of Switzer's escape from Semple's onslaught was declared a great success. Switzer's participation after the race caused a lot of investigation and controversy. It also officially banned women from all competitions with male runners for neglecting entry restrictions. Switzer and other female runners struggled to persuade the Boston Athletic Association to allow women to participate in the marathon. Finally, in 1972, the Boston Marathon established an official women's race.

Switzer won the 1974 New York City Marathon with a time of 3:07:29 to become the women's winner. Her personal best time was recorded as 2:51:37 in Boston in 1975. In 1979, the trading card set "Supersisters" was produced and distributed. One of the cards also contained Switzer's name and picture.

Switzer was named "Female Runner of the Decade" (1967–77) by Runner's World Magazine. She later became a television commentator for marathons, starting with the 1984 Olympic women's marathon, and was honored with an Emmy Award for her work. Switzer wrote the book "Running and Walking for Women Over 40" in 1997. She later announced her memoir, "Marathon Woman," by publishing it in April 2007, on the 40th anniversary of her first run in the Boston Marathon. The following year, the book was crowned with the Billie Journalism Award for portraying women in sports.

Working to improve women's running opportunities since 1967, Switzer was inducted into the "National Women's Hall of Fame" in 2011 for creating a social revolution by running and empowering women around the world. In 2015, Switzer founded a global nonprofit called "261 Fearless". This organization uses running as a way to empower women to overcome obstacles in life and embrace wellness.

She participated in the ninth time for the 2017 Boston Marathon with the number 261 assigned to her in 1967. More than 13,700 women joined Switzer, who finished the race with 4:44:31 and ran together. That same year, the Boston Athletic Association announced that as an honor for Switzer, it would not award the number 261 to future runners and would be exclusive to Switzer.

Also in 2017, Switzer, who ran the New York City Marathon for the first time since 1974, finished in 4:48:21. The following year, Switzer, who was the graduation speaker at Syracuse University's 164th graduation ceremony, received an honorary doctorate in human literature.

Personal life

In 1968, Switzer married Tom Miller, a former football player and national hammer thrower. The couple decided to divorce in 1973. Switzer later got married to PR manager Philip Schaub. But the couple later divorced. Then, she married New Zealand runner and writer Roger Robinson in 1987.