#katherine switzer

[udmurt1984]

Katherine Switzer

[humble-boness]

Feminism: Women in sports

Today I learned about Katherine Switzer. She was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an official, registered competitor.

During her run, she was assaulted by race manager Jock Semple. He tried to grab at her shirt, trying to strip her bib number, trying to tear at it. Please note that the rule book for the Boston Marathon made no mention of gender. But it was widely understood that women were prohibited from running in official competition: the rules of the AAU, which governed the Marathon, declared that women could not compete in AAU-sanctioned races over a mile and a half.

Her predecessor was Bobbi Gibb, an unofficial runner of the marathon. Bibb was rejected from her marathon by the BAA director, stating that "that women were physiologically incapable of running 26 miles". She completed the marathon anyway, despite not being a registered runner.

During Semple's assault, he managed to take off some of Katherine's clothing. Her trainer, Arnie Briggs, tried to stop him but Semple shove him to the ground. At that point, Katherine Switzer's boyfriend, Thomas Miller (SZA certified big boy), threw Semple to the ground himself. This allowed Katherine to complete the marathon.

It is easy to forget how women of history had to fight for the right to even compete in sports. It is easier to forget that they had competed against men in the past. However, it is important to look at our current privilege with gratitude, because we did fight to get here, and will continue to fight in many aspects of our lives as women.

What you take for granted right now, was fought for. Never stop fighting.

[piratelawyer]

please listen to this sidedoor episode about her and other early woman marathoners- she said she didnt have the right shoes bc they didnt make running shoes for women so she ran part of the race barefoot!!! whattt! and then Kathrine Switzer talks ab that famous photo and how the race organizers (not other runners mind you) were so mad she "tricked" them to get an official number by using her initials. its a great episode with some cool stories! and they talk to an astronaut! who ran the boston marathon! IN SPACE!

“When she applied to run in the Boston Marathon in 1966 they rejected her saying: “Women are not physiologically able to run a marathon, and we can’t take the liability.” Then exactly 50 years ago today, on the day of the marathon, Bobbi Gibb hid in the bushes and waited for the race to begin. When about half of the runners had gone past she jumped in. She wore her brother��s Bermuda shorts, a pair of boy’s sneakers, a bathing suit, and a sweatshirt. As she took off into the swarm of runners, Gibb started to feel overheated, but she didn’t remove her hoodie. “I knew if they saw me, they were going to try to stop me,” she said. “I even thought I might be arrested.” It didn’t take long for male runners in Gibb’s vicinity to realize that she was not another man. Gibb expected them to shoulder her off the road, or call out to the police. Instead, the other runners told her that if anyone tried to interfere with her race, they would put a stop to it. Finally feeling secure and assured, Gibb took off her sweatshirt. As soon as it became clear that there was a woman running in the marathon, the crowd erupted—not with anger or righteousness, but with pure joy, she recalled. Men cheered. Women cried. By the time she reached Wellesley College, the news of her run had spread, and the female students were waiting for her, jumping and screaming. The governor of Massachusetts met her at the finish line and shook her hand. The first woman to ever run the marathon had finished in the top third.”

[suzilight]

1967 The Boston Marathon - Race manager, Jock Semple, attempted to stop Kathrine Switzer from competing. She became the first woman to finish the race.

The Real Story - Katherine Switzer

"The distance, as it always does, gave me time to think and dissipated my anger. Jock Semple didn’t take me seriously, and that’s why he attacked me. I wondered why other women didn’t run, thinking that they just didn’t get it. Wait a minute, maybe they believed all those old myths like running ruins your reproductive organs, and it scared them away because they didn’t know better and nobody gave them opportunities to disprove this nonsense. My folks and Arnie had given me this chance, and it dawned on me that I was not special after all; just lucky. My thinking rolled on: The reason there are no intercollegiate sports for women at big universities, no scholarships, prize money, or any races longer than 800 meters is because women don’t have the opportunities to prove they want those things. If they could just take part, they’d feel the power and accomplishment and the situation would change. After what happened today, I felt responsible to create those opportunities. I felt elated, like I’d made a great discovery. In fact, I had."

[medium-observation]

JULY RELEASE

Frozen - First US National Tour

April 14, 2024 (Matinée) - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Natalie Goodin (u/s Elsa), Lauren Nicole Chapman (Anna), Savannah Lumar (Young Elsa), Emma Origenes (Young Anna), Jeremy Davis (Olaf), Dan Plehal (Sven), Daniel Switzer (s/w Oaken/Ensemble), Evan Duff (Weselton), Brian Martin (Pabbie), Renée Reid (Bulda), Natalie Wisdom (s/w Head Handmaiden), Sammy Schechter (s/w Bishop), Kate Bailey (Ensemble), Kristen Smith Davis (Ensemble), Leigh-Ann Esty (Ensemble), Michael Everett (Ensemble), Jason Goldston (Ensemble), Sarah Dearstyne (s/w Ensemble), Zach Hess (Ensemble), Adrianna Rose Lyons (Ensemble), Alexander Mendoza (Ensemble), Kyle Lamar Mitchell (Ensemble), Katie Mariko Murray (Ensemble), Nick Silverio (Ensemble), Peli Naomi Woods (Ensemble)

Notes:

Natalie's Elsa Debut. Incredible video of this incredible cast. some washout and shakiness, and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: July 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://www.flickr.com/gp/196227588@N02/J55tdr219n

Video is $20

In the Heights - Cleveland Playhouse

June 7, 2024 - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Joseph Morales (Usnavi), Addie Morales (Nina), Chibueze Ihuoma (Benny), Kalyn West (Vanessa), Trinidad Snider (Abuela Claudia), Rudy Martinez (Kevin), Michelle Aravena (Camila), Shadia Fairuz (Daniela), Kirsten Angelina Henry (Carla), Gabriel Subervi (Sonny), Courtland Davis (Graffiti Pete), Kevin Solis (Piragua Guy), Amy Romero (s/w Ensemble)

Notes:

Excellent capture of this incredible production. some washout and shakiness, and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: January 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://www.flickr.com/gp/196227588@N02/11270N1L8A

Video is $20

Six - Second US National Tour (Boleyn)

June 15, 2024 - Medium Observation

Video

Cast:

Kristina Leopold (Catherine of Aragon), Cassie Silva (Anne Boleyn), Kelly Denice Taylor (Jane Seymour), Danielle Mendoza (Anna of Cleves), Alize Cruz (Katherine Howard), Adriana Scalice (Catherine Parr)

Notes:

Near perfect capture of this incredible 2.0 Boleyn Cast! lots of latecomers at this theater so you will see some people walk in and out of frame at times. some washout and shakiness, and readjusting throughout.

NFT Date: July 1st, 2025

Screenshots: https://www.flickr.com/gp/196227588@N02/E3iE5F81Xh

Video is $20

Videos can be purchased through me at mediumobservationtrading@gmail.com

[sanddollarpoems]

This is a super cool story, and Katherine is an amazing writer!

Check out the full story of the race here:

I love when women slay their goals.

[super-powerful-queen-reyna]

Here's my list of forgotten/cool women from history. Please take it, reblog it with more, spread it, learn about them, make books about them:

Lucy (slave used for experimentations on the uterus)

Nightwitches from WW2

Grace Hopper

Mary Anning

Maria Mitchell

Ada Lovelace

Kate Warne

Agnes Barre

Flora Tristan

Olympe de Gouges

Eleanor Roosevelt

Bessie Smith

Sylvia Plath

Sweet Tee

Lady D (the rapper)

The Sequence

Lady B

Rachel Carson

Baya

Tahireh

Lalla Fatma N'Soumer

Rosalind Franklin

Miriam Makeba

Alexandra David Néel

Suzanne Noël

Helena Rubinstein

Katherine Switzer

Jeanne Barret

Sophie Germain

Katherine Johnson

Margaret Hamilton

Hedy Lamarr

Betty Snyder Holberton

Kathleen McNulty Mauchly Antonelli

Marilyn Wescoff Meltzer

Frances Bilas Spence

Ruth Lichteman Teitelbaum og Jean Jennings Bartik

Valerie Thomas

Karen Sparck Jones

Dr Shirley Ann Jackson

Radia Perlman

Stacy Horn

Dr Betty Harris

Beulah Louise Henry

Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler

Empress Zenobia of the Palmyrene Empire

Surya Bonaly

Dolly Parton

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Shelley

Queen Nzinga of Ndongo Kingdom

Queen Yaa Asantewa Ashanti

Empress Candace of Ethiopia

Queen Sarraounia Mangou of Aznas Kingdom

Dona Beatriz

Mileva Marić

Matoaka

Janet Sobel

Claudette Colvin

Marsha P. Johnson

Marian Anderson

Madam CJ Walker

Frida Kahlo

Mirka Mora

Dahomey Amazons

The 40 Elephants

Diamond Alice

Maggie Bailey

Julie d'Aubigny

Bessie Coleman

Policarpa Salavarrieta

Annie Oakley

Anna Julia Cooper

Sojourner Truth

Ida B. Wells

Shirley Chisholm

Mary Church Terrell

Audre Lorde

Harriet Tubman

Maria W. Stewart

Angela Davis

Florynce Kennedy

Jocelyn Bell

Alice Ball

Lise Meitner

Chien Shiung Wu

Marie Tharp

Elizabeth Blackwell

Amanirenas

Wu Zetian

[elambmex]

Ellas son las mujeres atletas que cambiaron la historia del deporte

Katherine Switzer se convirtió en la primera mujer en correr un maratón el 19 de abril de 1967. Para lograrlo, la atleta nacida en Amberg, Alemania, se registró con sus siglas y no con el nombre completo, pues las mujeres tenían prohibido correr el maratón de Boston. Sin embargo, el codirector de la maratón se percató de su presencia y utilizó la fuerza física para detenerla y expulsarla de la…

[formularunning]

🏴‍☠️ Mejor pedir perdón que pedir permiso

Estamos en febrero de 1966.

Roberta tiene 23 años, y la carta📩 , por fin esta en el buzón 📮.

La abre apresurada, pero el contenido no es el esperado.

“Esta carrera es masculina. Las mujeres no pueden participar y, además, no son fisiológicamente capaces de completarla. Saludos, Will Conley”.

Roberta no da crédito porque ya ha corrido 30 millas de un tirón entrenando más de una vez.

De hecho lleva 700 días corriendo a diario desde que, hace dos años, se enamorara de esa carrera mientras pasaba por el Wellesley College.

Will Conley no va a detenerla, eso está claro.

Dos meses después Roberta está escondida detrás de unos arbustos🌳 en Hopkinton, a unos 150 metros de la salida🏁 de la carrera.

Puede ver el arco, escucha el disparo🔫 y ve acercarse al grupo de corredores, poco más de 500, todos hombres🚹, que intentarán completar los 42 kilómetros y 195 metros.

Se cuela a mitad de pelotón en medio de un grupo de chicos.

Roberta lleva una sudadera con capucha negra y unas bermudas de su hermano.

Y se pone a correr porque, al fin y al cabo, eso es lo que ha venido a hacer.

Al poco tiempo el grupo se da cuenta de que la figura menuda y compacta en la sudadera negra corresponde a una chica🏃‍♀️ Se alegran y la protegen.

“No tengas miedo a quitarte la sudadera. No vamos a dejar que te echen. Esto es una vía pública”.

La noticia de que una mujer está corriendo llega a la radio📻 local, que lo cuenta en vivo.

Para cuando llega a Wellesley, Roberta recibe una ovación de un grupo dede chicas👩‍👧‍👧 allí congregadas como hace dos años, sólo que ahora ella está dentro de la carrera.

Van a ritmo de 3 horas. Pero al llegar al kilómetro 30 el muro hace mella.

Roberta no ha comido ni bebido en este rato porque en el instituto le dijeron que provocaba calambres.

Lleva los pies👣 llenos de ampollas y rozaduras que hacen que sangre.

Quizá no fue buena idea estrenar zapatillas👟👟 hoy, ni tampoco estrenar superficie, ya que siempre ha corrido por caminos de tierra.

A 3 kilómetros de la meta, Roberta está pasando las de Caín y piensa en abandonar.

Corre de puntillas para evitar el dolor.

Pero no terminar supondría que el running femenino retrocediera en el tiempo otras tres décadas.

Le estaría dando, de algún modo, la razón a Will Conley. A esa carta recibida hace apenas dos meses.

La que decía que una mujer no podía, fisiológicamente, acabar el maratón.

“Tengo que acabar fuerte”.

La última recta de la carrera, Boylston Street, hierve al aparecer la figura de Roberta, recompuesta y acabando a buen ritmo.

El reloj ⏱ marca 3 horas, 21 minutos y 40 segundos.

Está en torno al primer tercio de llegados.

Pero Roberta no aparece en las clasificaciones porque ha corrido sin número una carrera a la que no estaba invitada.

Roberta, "Bobbi" Gibb���🇸, ha hecho historia.🙏👏👏👏

Se ha convertido en la primera mujer 1️⃣a🚺 en terminar un maratón.

Lo ha hecho en el Maratón de Boston🇺🇸.

Sin numero de competidor

Bobbi Gibb correrá de nuevo, de manera “pirata”, en Boston🇺🇸 al año siguiente.

Terminará en 3:27.

Pero aquí gana a otra chica que sí lleva numero.

Lleva dorsal porque se ha apuntado con sus iniciales. K.V.S., iniciales de Katherine Virginia Switzer🇺🇸

Quizá la historia de Bobbi Gibb sea menos conocida que la de Switzer.

Puede que porque no apareció en las clasificaciones.

Porque no existe una foto icónica, como la de Switzer, en la que un tipo intenta echarla de la prueba.

Pero el Maratón de Boston🇺🇸 rectificó años después y le entregó sus medallas🎖🎖.La de 🥇1966, la de 🎖1967 y también la de 🥇1968, edición que también ganaría (3:30 en meta).

Joan Flaminnio, primera presidenta del club organizador del Maratón de Boston, décadas después de esa carta escrita por su antecesor Will Conley, afirma:

“Que Bobbi Gibb corriera no sólo provocó que las mujeres quisieran correr maratones, sino que también demostró que el coraje y la determinación provocan cambios”.

En la enciclopedia del running, al lado de la definición de “pionera”, debería estar, bien grande, la foto de Roberta coriendo con la sudadera negra.

Les deseo que corran muchos más kilómetros,

PD - Correr “de pirata” en 1966 porque NO tenías otro modo de conseguirlo (ni pagando) NO es comparable a meterte en tu próxima carrera sin número, por si te quedaba alguna duda.

[ramtracking]

Who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon? [ Boston Marathon ]

Who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon? [Highlights] The history of the Boston Marathon runs deep for many — even back to a time when not all were welcome to run. In 1966, 23-year-old Bobbi… Katherine Switzer, 77, runs along the coastline. Switzer was the first woman to register and run in the Boston Marathon in 1967. Women were first recognized as competitors in the Boston Marathon…

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 2.14

Beer Birthdays

Michael Sedlmayr (1848)

Alvin M. Hemrich (1870)

Benedict Frank Haberle (1888)

Denny Conn (1952)

Gregg Wiggins (1954)

Lew Bryson (1959)

Kristi Switzer (1965)

Chuck Silva (1967)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Tim Buckley; rock musician (1946)

Florence Henderson; actor (1934)

Thomas Malthus; economist (1766)

Lois Maxwell; actor (1927)

Simon Pegg; actor, comedian, writer (1970)

Famous Birthdays

Mel Allen; sportscaster (1913)

Jules Asner; model, television personality (1968)

Jack Benny; comedian (1894)

Carl Bernstein; journalist (1944)

Drew Bledsoe; New England Patriots QB (1972)

Michael Bloomberg; clueless businessman, politician (1942)

Odds Bodkin; storyteller (1953)

Lara Croft; Tomb Raider game character (1968)

Frederick Douglass; writer, abolitionist (1817)

Hugh Downs; television host (1921)

George Ferris; inventor, Ferris Wheel inventor (1859)

Zach Galligan; actor, comedian (1964)

Frank Harris; writer (1856)

Woody Hayes; football coach (1913)

Freddie Highmore; actor (1992)

Gregory Hines; actor, dancer (1946)

Jimmy Hoffa; union leader (1913)

Kevin Keegan; soccer player (1951)

Jim Kelly; Buffalo Bills QB (1960)

Margaret Knight; inventor (1838)

Porsche Lynn; porn actor (1962)

Vic Morrow; actor (1929)

Murray the K; D.J. (1922)

George Jean Nathan; writer (1882)

Alan Parker; film director (1942)

Edward Platt; actor (1916)

Thelma Ritter; actor (1905)

Anna Howard Shaw; suffrage leader (1847)

Skeezix; cartoon character (1921)

Jo Jo Starbuck; ice skater (1951)

Katherine Stinson; aviator (1891)

Teller; comedian, magician (1948)

Rob Thomas; rock musician (1972)

Meg Tilly; actor (1960)

Johann Werner; German mathematician (1468)

Charles Wilson; English physicist (1869)

Fritz Zwicky; Swiss astronomer (1898)

[saraunailyqistfarees]

Judy Chicago (American, born 1939). The Dinner Party, 1974–79. Ceramic, porcelain, textile, 576 × 576 in. (1463 × 1463 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10

Judy Chicago, a prominent American feminist artist, writer, and educator, made significant contributions to feminist art in the 1970s. She co-founded the first U.S. feminist art program in 1970 and later established the Feminist Studio Workshop in Los Angeles.

Among her influential works is "The Dinner Party" (1974–1979), a groundbreaking feminist artwork celebrating women's achievements. The monument presents a large, triangular table, 48 feet on each side, with place settings for 39 significant women from various periods in history. Each of these spots has a fancy plate, utensils, a cup, and a beautiful table runner with the woman's name on it.  It's like a fancy set-up for a special meal, but instead of food, it's a tribute to these awesome ladies. Not only that, but 999 more names were secretly written on the bottom of the table. Each woman's story is not just about her individual accomplishments but also about her body as a site of historical and political significance.  The monument, created through a collaborative effort over five years, highlights the power of feminist vision and artistic collaboration, showcasing the significance of women's experiences and identities.

The 39 guests at the monument are:

Malala Yousafzai

Michelle Obama

K. Rowling

Sandra Day O’Connot

Ina Garten

Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid

Carolina Herrera

Princess Diana

Dame Jane Goodall

Bell Hooks

Larisa Latynina

Corazon Aquino

Shonda Rhimes

Oprah

Ada Hegerberg

Serena Williams

Aretha Franklin

Marianne Brandt

Debra Haaland of New Mexico

Laverne Cox

Katherine Johnson

Meryl Streep

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Katherine Graham

Francoise Barre-Sinoussi

Gloria Steinem

Condoleezza Rice

Ava DuVernay

Rei Kawakubo

Kathrine Switzer

Mindy Kaling

Billie Jean King

Chloe Kim

Carol Burnett

Jacinda Ardern

Shirin Neshat

Sharice Davids of Kansas

Dolly Parton

For the reader to fill

Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party" faced political backlash when she tried to donate it to the University of the District of Columbia. The U.S. Senate criticized it as "3-D ceramic pornography" and a "weird feminist spectacle." Although the imagery on the tables uses flowers and butterflies, it also resembles female genetalia, which some people find inappropriate, disturbing, and distracting from the main point of the artwork.

In 2007, the piece found a permanent home at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Centre for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum. The triangular table shape symbolizes feminine unity and strength, with an inverted triangle possibly representing the divine feminine or personal growth. Each setting represents a historical era, challenging the idea that women's contributions are limited to specific times or places.

The unique plates at each setting symbolize the women they represent, going beyond mere acknowledgment of achievements to encapsulate their lived experiences. Chicago's use of diverse materials reflects the essence of each woman's achievements and historical context.

"The Dinner Party" also recognizes overlooked figures, challenging the historical erasure of women's agency. By placing women from various backgrounds at a symbolic table, Chicago asserts their significance in shaping history, science, art, and culture.

SOURCES

Abdullah, Khawaja A. “Upside Down Triangle Symbol Spiritual Meaning.” spiritualecho.com, 28 Sept. 2023, spiritualecho.com/upside-down-triangle-symbol-spiritual-meaning.

Stern, Maria, and Sanna Strand. “Periods, pregnancy, and peeing: Leaky feminine bodies in Swedish military marketing.” International Political Sociology, vol. 16, no. 1, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olab025.

[missanissa71]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: The Entry of KATHERINE SWITZER Medium Hoodie Sweatshirt BOSTON MARATHON 1967.

[intersectionalism]

[schlesingerlibrary]

The library just received these wonderfully illustrated children's books about two very inspiring women!

http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/99153773698903941/catalog

http://id.lib.harvard.edu/alma/99153773699203941/catalog

[feministtalks]