Monday, April 17, 2017

Lauren Brady P4 4/17/17 First Woman to Run in the Boston Marathon Runs Again 50 Years Later

Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run officially in the Boston Marathon, in 1967. She had entered the race using her initials, KV Switzer, and finished after severe sexism and discrimination. She became a female sports icon because of her participation in the Boston Marathon, and by 1972, she had successfully campaigned to get women into the race. She formed several female-only running organizations and races, and even paved the way for the female Olympic marathon. She also became a key leader in advocating for women in sports. Over the 50 years since she first ran the Boston Marathon, she has run 40 different marathons, including 9 Boston Marathons. Her ninth Boston Marathon was on Monday. Kathrine Switzer is now 70.

This is a very inspiring story. Kathrine has devoted her life to equality for women in sports, and has made great headway. It is so heartwarming to see how one person can create such a change. I am excited to see what today's revolutionaries can create. This connects to Tile IX, where discrimination in public school activities was banned, leading to an increase in women's sports.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/us/boston-marathon-kathrine-switzer-trnd/index.html

3 comments:

  1. It's cool to see her still running, showing her lifetime dedication to sports equality.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so cool! What an admirable woman. Lots of respect for her fight for equality.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So in 1967 women weren't allowed to run in this race. It seem so ridiculous now. Thank you Katherine Switzer.

    ReplyDelete