this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2026
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In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor,[3] having entered as "K.V. Switzer". Switzer's trainer Arnie Briggs, and her boyfriend Thomas Miller, were also in the race. During her run, the race manager Jock Semple assaulted Switzer, trying to grab her bib number and thereby remove her from official competition. Semple knocked Briggs down when he tried to protect her, but was then shoved to the ground by Miller; she completed the race.[3] The attack was photographed and reported internationally.

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[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wow, this one's worth a read.

[–] TehBamski@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

It's women like this that help make the world a better and equal place to live. An inspiration for challenging the status quo for the betterment of others and ones self.

[–] TargaryenTKE@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

That official who tried to stop her is a prime example of a person taking something WAY too seriously. Apparently he had a habit of tackling runners that, in his opinion, didn't view the race with a certain level of respect; "weirdies" he called them. He was also one of those guys who claimed 'I don't make the rules, I just enforce them' despite literally having a seat in the committee that made the rules