kathrine

Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to register for a marathon. During the race they tried to forcibly remove her number - a scene that became immortalized, and the photograph of the moment made its way around the world. Afterwards, the number she wore - 261 - has become a symbol of gender equality in sports.

Seven years after making history, Switzer won the 1974 New York marathon and placed second in the Boston marathon in 1975. “I didn’t want to prove anything. I just wanted to run. It made me feel so good that I wanted to share it with all the women I knew. And that has become my way of life.”

An iconic athlete, author, Emmy-award winning broadcaster and advocate for sports and social causes, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially register for and run the Boston Marathon in 1967. She was attacked in the race by an angry official who tried to rip off her bib number (#261) and throw her out of the race because she was a woman. She finished the 26.2 mile distance anyway and went on win the 1974 New York City Marathon and to champion women in the sport globally, most notably leading the drive to make the women's marathon an official Olympic event in 1984. Now, 58% of all runners in the USA are women. To celebrate this social revolution,  and to support another on active aging, Switzer ran the Boston Marathon again, at age 70, on the 50th anniversary of her iconic run, finishing only 24 minutes slower than she did when she was 20.  This run launched her non-profit '261 Fearless' --named after that famous bib number--which empowers women globally though running. She has been honored widely for her achievements including being inducted into the USA National Women’s Hall of Fame which recognized her for creating positive social change throughout her storied career.

My conversation with Kathrine went beyond running, and we talked about the importance of staying active as we age. She also provided some tips for masters runners who want to get the most out of their training, and we talked about her non-profit, 261 Fearless.

Resources from this episode:

Her Marathon Woman website

The REAL STORY of that famous Boston Marathon

261 Fearless

Find a 261 Fearless club near you

Coach Kim's website: www.crushingmygoals.com

Power of Run on Facebook

Kim's FREE 28 page guide to running your first 5K

Connect with runners and others who are working to be more active in Kim's Facebook group.

Power of Run on Instagram

Denne pocast giver dig svaret på,​ hvorfor Kathrine Bendtsen valgte at tage et sabbatår efter gymnasiet. Hvad betød det for hende at tage et sabbatår, hvorfor var det nødvendigt at gøre. Hvad lærte hun af at være i Afrika i fire måneder, have​ aftenvagter på et plejehjem og møde stressede forældre i en vuggestue. Kathrine Bendtsen har prøvet det​ hele og er nu på vej til Berlin for at arbejde,​ før hun vil læse videre.

On this weeks show... the Spring Marathon season is getting super exciting with massive races on the cards at Rotterdam, Boston, Paris and London coming up. We have a look at the Kenyan race for the Olympic Games selection. Ryan Hall has got a 2012 movie coming out. Yuki the swimmer? You rate your run and Tony brings us his trials. There is a full podium, training talk is all about getting race week right and we have got the second part of our fascinating interview with pioneer of women's running, Kathrine Switzer.

In this weeks show... could it be you? We give away a special Adidas VIP place in the 2013 Virgin London Marathon off the back of Marchvellous. There is some sad news from the runniing community. There is news from fast half marathons in Prague and Berlin and a marathon great retires. We have rate your run, the Marathon Talk podium and the launch pad. We have a great first of a two part interview with 1967 Boston Marathon participant and pioneer of women's running Kathrine Switzer. You know when your marathon is getting close when..... Tony brings us his trials and a big thanks to you! Marathon Talk smashed through a super cool one million downloads.