Switzer told The Boston Globe she still has that 1967 bib at her home. Switzer served as the honorary starter for the women's elite race, won by Kenya's Edna Kiplagat, before taking to the course herself. Switzer's bib number will be retired after Monday's race. The Boston Marathon first allowed women to race officially in 1972. 261 bib eventually led to the start of 261 Fearless, a foundation established to support women as they “take on their personal challenges through running or walking.” Switzer, however, was the first official Boston Marathon female participant, and her struggle that day wearing the No. Her secret, however, was revealed later in the race when she ditched the sweatshirt. Gibb had become the first woman to run the Boston Marathon a year prior as she concealed her gender by wearing a hoodie at the start of the race. Roberta Gibb ran the race unofficially an hour faster. She was 20 at the time and finished the race in four hours, 20 minutes, although she wasn’t the fastest female competitor.
Switzer, thanks to running partner and fellow Syracuse student Tom Miller, escaped the grasp of Semple and continued that day. “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers,” race organizer Jock Semple yelled at her that year as he attempted to yank off her bib and then her top during the race. After Monday, she will also be the last runner to wear the iconic number. 261, the same number she wore in 1967 when she became the first woman to officially participate in the Boston Marathon. Kathrine Switzer finished Monday's Boston Marathon in four hours, 44 minutes.īut, like her first journey at the nation's most prominent road race, it wasn't about how quickly she finished. Watch Video: Kathrine Switzer returns to the Boston Marathon
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