She Who Dared | Brave Women Through History: Bobbi Gibb and Katherine Switzer

The Boston Marathon rule book does not mention that runners must be male. However, the Amateur Athletic Union states women could not run in races over one and a half miles. In 1966, the Boston Atheltic Association rejected Bobbi Gibb, who tried to enter the race as a registered runner. The BAA Director, Will Cloney, claimed women were incapable of running twenty-six miles. Gibb completed the 1966 race with a time of 3:21:40, although it did not count. This, however, did not stop Bobbi Gibb and Katherine Switzer.

Inspired by Bobbi Gibb in 1966, Kathrine Switzer registered for the Boston Marathon using her assigned AAU number and paid the full race fee in 1967. She submitted the required certificate of fitness and signed the application as K.V. Switzer. Her signature often used her initials. A male runner picked up her bib number before the race—number 261.

Katherine’s coach, Arnie Briggs, and her boyfriend, Tom Miller, ran alongside her. After a few miles, the hood of Switzer’s sweatshirt fell off, and her gender became obvious. The race co-director Jock Semple spotted her and attempted to stop her from running by grabbing her race number. Semple was famous for charging after participants whom he felt did not take the race seriously, which included females. Both Coach Brigss and her boyfriend intervened. Semple grabbed a glove, but not the number. Miller scuffled with Semple, knocking him to the ground. Semple’s attack made international headlines. Meanwhile, Bibb once again crossed the finish line without a race number and finished almost an hour faster than Switzer.

After Switzer’s race as a registered entrant, the AAU barred women from all competitions with male runners, with violators losing the right to compete in any race. It was not until 1972 that the Boston Marathon established an official women’s race.

“I knew if I quit, nobody would ever believe that women had the capability to run 26-plus miles. If I quit, everybody would say it was a publicity stunt. If I quit, it would set women’s sports back, way back, instead of forward.” ~Katherine Switzer