Did you know that the first two women to ever run a marathon are still alive? We like to imagine that diversity issues are a moment of the past; that they were a long time ago. But in reality, they were way more recent than most people think.
Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run a marathon, and she is recognized as such. She registered under the name ‘K.V Switzer’, a name thought to be male, because it was widely thought that women couldn’t run more than a mile because of myths about their “fragile reproductive systems”. Some men tried to physically remove her from the track, but her boyfriend and other nearby runners protected her as she finished the race.
This is the story that is told about the first woman to run a marathon. A woman who despite misogynistic beliefs and doubts from everyone around her, ran a marathon in 1967. The other, less popular story is about Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb. Bobbi Gibb ran the exact same marathon, but only a year earlier, in 1966. Gibb grew up in Boston, but moved to and trained in San Diego, California.
She practiced everyday with the full intention of running and completing the full 26 miles, even running 40 miles in a day. Gibb traveled by bus for 3 nights and 4 days to her parents house back in Boston, Massachusetts, and dressed in her brother’s hoodie, and his running shoes, as running shoes for women did not exist yet. She hid in bushes near the starting line and waited for the gun to sound. She waited for about half of the men to start running so she could blend in with the other runners. Although her efforts to stay hidden were unsuccessful, she was welcomed by the men and cheered on by other competitors. She even finished a full hour before Switzer did the following year.
Katherine Switzer is now 79 years old, and still consistently runs 30 miles a week. She resides in New York and New Zealand with her husband. She is an Emmy winning TV commentator for Olympic events, and is an award winning author now too. Bobbi Gibb is now 83 years old and she does not run anymore. She lives in between California and Massachusetts, living a bi-coastal life. Now she works as an artist and sculptor, and most recently made a bronze statue of herself.
Because Gibb was not allowed to register, she ran without a bib/number, and was not technically a part of the race. But she still made history along with Switzer as the first two women to challenge the unfair stereotype that women can’t do everything men can. Women were allowed to run, just 6 years after Gibb introduced the idea. They forever changed how women were seen in sports, with Switzer as the first woman to officially run, and Gibb as the first woman to ever run a marathon. They ran without permission, and changed the rules forever.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbi_Gibb
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathrine_Switzer
https://kathrineswitzer.com/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/
