“In the marathon, they are running times that are close to what men’s World Class performances were, and most people thought this was impossible.” “Now women have training groups that I only had with men,” she said. They are no longer limiting themselves,” Switzer said, commenting on how the current women’s running scene is different from when she started running. “The biggest difference is that it is simply not unusual to see a woman running, and that women now know they really can do it. Women Marathoners Having a Breakout Moment Earlier this month, Chastain Film Capital announced that a film adaptation of Marathon Woman is in the works, set to release within the next five years. Switzer went on to become a fierce competitor and a champion for women’s rights in sports, which she recounts in her 2007 memoir, Marathon Woman (Carroll & Graf). A huge part of that progress has to do with Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially enter and run Boston in 1967. While equal gender representation in marathons has now become routine, races in the not-so-distant past looked vastly different. Also, those fields were about the same size: 14,675 men completed the race, while 11,982 women finished. Both the men’s and women’s races ranged from world-class athletes to time-qualifier squeakers to charity runners. This past April, 26,657 runners crossed the 2019 Boston Marathon finish line. She also played a key role in establishing the first women’s Olympic Marathon in 1984.Switzer, now 72, is best-known for becoming the first woman to officially register and run the Boston Marathon.Kathrine Switzer’s best-selling memoir, Marathon Woman, is set to be adapted into a film by Chastain Film Capital.The 70-year-old will return to the race this April, 50 years later! The race director Jock Semple tried unsuccessfully to remove Kathrine from the 1967 Boston Marathon course. But, have you ever wondered what it takes to put on the iconic event? The Boston Athletic Association shared these stats from 2016.īut first, a fact about this year’s race! In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to finish the race wearing an official bib. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!īRAVO, BOSTON! Qualifying to run the Boston Marathon can mean years of hard work and dedication.

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