Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947)[1] is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator.

[3] During her run, the race manager Jock Semple assaulted Switzer, trying to grab her bib number and thereby remove her from official competition.

[4] Switzer was born in Amberg, American-occupied zone of Germany, the daughter of a major in the United States Army.

[5] She graduated from George C. Marshall High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, then attended Lynchburg College.

After transferring from Lynchburg to Syracuse, Switzer sought permission to train with the men's cross-country running program.

In 1966, Bobbi Gibb had tried to enter the race officially but had been rejected by BAA Director Will Cloney who claimed women were physiologically incapable of running 26 miles.

[10] Gibb completed the 1966 race ahead of two-thirds of the runners with a time of 3:21:40, having entered the course near the starting pen in the middle of the pack.

At this point, according to a Sports Illustrated report, race co-director Jock Semple jumped off a following press truck and charged after Switzer.

He was also a strict traditionalist who considered the marathon to be "sacred", and was infamous for charging angrily after participants he found insufficiently serious about the race.

In 1957, race officials had to dissuade local police from arresting him for attempted assault after he made a flying tackle at a racer running in webbed snorkeler's shoes and a grotesque mask because "the guy was runnin' with the good runners" at the 6.5 miles (10.5 km) mark.

In the mid-1960s, he chased a contestant running in an Uncle Sam outfit, repeatedly dashing cups of water in the runner's face.

[3][15][16][17][18] Semple complained in a 1968 interview about Miller's success in stopping his attacks, saying, "That guy's a hammer thrower, for cripes' sake!

Although Gibb had completed the marathon the previous year with a good time, the race rule book made no mention of gender, and Switzer had a valid race registration,[3] Cloney said: "Women can't run in the Marathon because the rules forbid it.

"[7] After Switzer's completion of the Boston Marathon as a registered entrant, the AAU changed its rules: it barred women from all competitions with male runners, with violators losing the right to compete in any race.

[9] Switzer, with other female runners, tried to convince the Boston Athletic Association to allow women to participate in the marathon.

[4] According to Switzer, she understood the gravity of her participation and accomplishment: I knew if I quit, nobody would ever believe that women had the capability to run 26-plus miles.

The two became friends, and Switzer wrote: I realized Jock Semple was just an over-worked race director protecting his event from people he thought were not serious about running.

[30] In 2015, Switzer launched a global non-profit called 261 Fearless with an ambassador program, club training system, and events.

261 Fearless uses running as a means to empower women to overcome life obstacles and embrace healthy living.

[34] That same year, the Boston Athletic Association announced it would not assign bib number 261 to any future runners, as an honor for Switzer.