Cool feminist fact of the day:
Feminist Fact Friday - In 1967, Kathrine Switzer registered for the Boston Marathon under the name K. Switzer. The rules of the Boston Marathon did not expressly prohibit women from running the race however no woman had ever been give a race number. At that time it was widely believed that women's bodies simply could not withstand the 26.2 mile race. Switzer showed up on the day of the race, retrieved her race number, and began running. Two miles in, race official Jock Semple realized that a woman was competing as a registered runner and attempted to physically remove her from the course, shouting, "Get the hell out of my race."
Switzer's boyfriend was running with her and shoved Semple away so she could continue running. Photographers captured the tense exchange and these photos later caused a world-wide stir. Though Semple disqualified her from the race, Switzer completed the course in a time of 4 hours and 20 minutes.
The notoriety she gained from the "Boston Incident" prompted Swtizer to join with other female runners to lobby the Boston Athletic Association and other race organizations to allow women in long distance races. The Boston Marathon was officially opened to female runners in 1972. Switzer later founded the Avon International Running Circuit, an initiative that is credited with creating women's running programs in 27 countries and with persuading the IOC to add women's marathon as an Olympic event in 1984.
Switzer has said that, in the moment, the "Boston Incident" first frightened, then empowered her. "I realized at that moment that everything had changed. Suddenly it became a contest of proving that women could do it."