Last month, Her Campus USF published an article titled “Celebrating Women’s History Month: Who We Look Up To,” featuring runner Kathrine Switzer. Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry in 1967.
What happened next would change sporting forever:
She was grabbed by a race official who tried to rip her number from her sweat shirt simply because she was a woman. The man yelled, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.”
Despite being grabbed, Switzer finished the race and spent the rest of her life as an advocate for gender equality in sports. In 2011, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for her work to challenge the status quo and empower women to enter athletic events.
On Monday, Switzer ran the 2017 Boston Marathon fifty years later, crossing the finish line wearing the same bib number that she wore in 1967. The Boston Marathon will retire bib no. 261 in her honor.
Per CNN, Switzer said, “The race today was a celebration of the past 50 years; the next 50 are going to be even better.”
Now, at 70-years-old, she finished the race in four hours, 44 minutes, just 24 minutes slower than her time in 1967.
ABC News reported that Switzer said she aimed to inspire women of all ages to be strong, active and confident in themselves. She also reportedly said she’ll be competing in the New York Marathon in the future.