Jan 30, 2020
Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to register for a marathon. During the race they tried to forcibly remove her number - a scene that became immortalized, and the photograph of the moment made its way around the world. Afterwards, the number she wore - 261 - has become a symbol of gender equality in sports.
Seven years after making history, Switzer won the 1974 New York marathon and placed second in the Boston marathon in 1975. “I didn’t want to prove anything. I just wanted to run. It made me feel so good that I wanted to share it with all the women I knew. And that has become my way of life.”