PHOTO BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kathrine Switzer holds up her original bib number as she answers a question during a media availability at the Copley Plaza Hotel near the Boston Marathon finish line Thursday.
By KATIE MORRISON
Fifty years ago, 20-year-old Kathrine Switzer became the first woman ever to compete in the Boston Marathon with an official number.
Though she tried to put one over on the race organizers by registering as “K.V. Switzer,” her ploy did not get past the late John Duncan “Jock” Semple, an athletic trainer who was also a race official.
Early in the race — around the 4-mile mark — Semple chased after Switzer and tried to snatch her No. 261 bib and remove her from the course. Her then-boyfriend, Tom Miller, pushed aside Semple and Switzer went on to complete the race.
The incident was captured in a picture made famous by the Boston Herald-Traveler’s Harry Trask.
Race officials later argued that by registering only with her first and middle initials, Switzer did not make it clear she was a woman. At the time, women were not permitted to run the race. One year earlier, Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb had run as a bandit (meaning she didn’t register, and didn’t have a number).
A half century after changing the landscape of the race, Switzer, 70, will be back in Hopkinton Monday morning, getting ready to run it again.
With the story of her groundbreaking run back at the forefront of the running world, Switzer is inspiring the generation of runners for whom she paved the way.
Peabody’s Jackie Kurkowski, 34, said prior to this year, she hadn’t read much about Switzer’s story. But when she did, it struck a chord with her.
“If she didn’t try to run, I might not be able to today,” Kurkowski, who will be running her third Boston Marathon Monday, said. “Someone has to be the first. She fought back, she set the benchmark, and I’m thankful she did.”
Nahant’s Ellen Goldberg, 48, felt a personal connection to the story as well.
“I was born in 1968, a little over a year after she ran,” Goldberg said, remarking that because of Switzer, she never knew a world when women couldn’t participate in the race.
“She had to fight for the right to run. That picture of her running, with (Semple) trying to pull her off the course? That’s an amazing photo.
“She was just going to keep going,” Goldberg said, referencing some of the famous photos of the altercation between her, Semple and Miller.
Lynn’s Hazel Boyd, who will run Boston for the fourth time Monday, is no stranger to male-dominated fields, having a military background and currently working in the healthcare field.
Boyd knows all about Switzer’s story and she’s even met her before. Switzer’s accomplishments are not lost on her.
“If you’re a female runner, you know she’s a legend, she’s the one that broke the glass ceiling to give us all the opportunity to run,” Boyd, 37, said. “I think it’s evident in some places where we’ve made huge strides in a society, like being more accepting of female athletes and things of that nature.
“It was just a few years ago that the military allowed women in combat,” Boyd added, referring to the removal of the ban on women engaging in combat in the American military in 2013. “It’s a gradual thing for equality as long as people like Switzer aren’t held back because of their gender, we can continue to progress.”
This year at Boston, Switzer will run in an atmosphere wildly different than that of the 1967 race. Instead of being unwelcome, Switzer will be celebrated. The Boston Athletic Association said Thursday that Switzer’s No. 261 will be retired Monday. It is only the second number retired by the Boston Marathon (the only other one being No. 61, which signifies John Kelly’s 61 races).
Boyd said Switzer will undoubtedly receive some of the loudest cheers along the course Monday.
“(They) are warranted,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing and I will definitely participate,” she said.
And this time, Switzer will run alongside thousands of other women. Fifty years ago, she was the sole representative of her gender; last year, a little less than half of the 30,000 participants were female (14,112).
Local runners say it’s an honor to run alongside the pioneer.
“If I came upon her, I would just say ‘thank you,’” Goldberg said. “Would I have the courage you need to run a marathon where you knew you weren’t wanted? I’d like to think I would, but I don’t know.”
“I’ll be screaming for her. I’ll tell her ‘thanks for paving the way,’” Boyd said. “It’s an extra motivating tactic. I won’t even be thinking about walking.”
Kurkowski said she just found out Switzer was running again this year, and hopes she gets to see her. But even moreso, she’s excited about the next generation learning about Switzer’s story.
“A lot of kids on the sidelines want high fives, and it’s cool that they’re going to get to see her, whether they realize who it is or not, someone around them will,” Kurkowski said. “They can tell them that the lady they just gave a high five to ran 50 years ago so other women would be able to. It’s a big deal.”
Switzer is still inspiring women, not just for breaking the barrier, but for coming back 50 years later and showing that running is a lifelong sport.
Goldberg said that while she feels immense gratitude for helping to create a world in which women were equal in the race, the fact that Switzer is running at 70 is an inspiration in itself.
“She’s showing it’s possible to run at any age,” Goldberg, who is getting ready for her eighth consecutive time running Boston, said.
The women believe Switzer’s historic run is still just as relevant today, and has served as motivation for women to keep pushing the limits.
“I do believe there are still people who feel that women shouldn’t do certain things, or that they shouldn’t be running,” Kurkowski said. “There will always be someone who feels that women shouldn’t. But we prove we are able to do it and we belong out on the course and have a right to run for any cause or reason.”
Katie Morrison can be reached at kmorrison@itemlive.com.