Back in 1967, the Boston Marathon was an all male event and women weren't allowed to compete. A then 20 year old Katherine Switzer entered using only her initials K. V. Switzer and ran. The iconic photo above shows the moment the official, Jock Semple, tried to remove the number and force Ms Switzer from the course. She finished the race in an unofficial time of 4h 20m.
Fifty years on, aged 70, Katherine Switzer ran the 2017 Boston Marathon wearing the same race number '261' that she wore all those years ago. This time, she wasn't alone as she was joined by more than 12,300 women who started the race. Her finish time was 4h 44m...pretty good considering she's 70!
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Katherine Switzer...the first woman to enter and run the Boston Marathon
Bobbi Gibb ran it the previous year and is I understand recognised as the first female finisher.
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