Author(s): Kathrine Switzer

Sport/Transport

In 1967, as Kathrine Switzer ran in the Boston Marathon, one of the event's directors attacked her, trying to violently eject her from the all-male race. In what would become one of the all-time iconic images in sports, Switzer fought off the director, with the help of her fellow runners, and finished the race. Not only was this a watershed moment for the sport, it also became a significant event in women's history - a force for social change and empowerment for women worldwide.
Marathon Woman is Kathrine Switzer's personal story about how she overcame the odds - as well as public ridicule - to become one of the greatest marathon runners of her time. From the childhood events that inspired her to succeed as an athlete, through her triumph in the 1974 New York Marathon and the globally connected series of women's running events that she has since conceived and organized - with more than a million participants in twenty-seven countries - this liberally illustrated book details the struggles and achievements of one of the pioneering women in sports.