The character arc of Kathrine Switzer
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born on 5 January 1947 in Amberg, in the American-occupied zone of Germany, the daughter of a United States Army major. Between then and now sit a return to the United States in 1949, a transfer to Syracuse University in 1967, permission to train with the men's cross-country programme, a coach who said a marathon was too far for a woman, the Boston Marathon run as an official entrant that April, a race manager who tried to remove her, a governing body that then banned women from racing against men, the formal admission of women in 1972, and a third place that year. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Kathrine Switzer?
They tried to pull her off, and she finished anyway.
She was born in Germany, where her father was serving as a major, and the family returned to the United States in 1949. She finished school in Virginia, went to Lynchburg College and transferred to Syracuse University in 1967 to read journalism and English literature. There she asked permission to train with the men's cross-country programme and was given it. The assistant coach, Arnie Briggs, began running with her, and insisted a marathon was too far for a woman. He also made her an offer: if she ran the distance in practice, he would take her to Boston himself. She ran it. He kept his word.
The rule book for the Boston Marathon made no mention of gender, so she entered under her initials, K. V. Switzer, and was given a number. Partway through the race the manager came onto the course and tried to tear the number off her. Her coach was knocked down trying to protect her and her boyfriend, also running, shoved the official to the ground. She finished the race. The photographs were taken and went round the world.
The consequence was not immediate victory. In response to her run, the governing body banned women from competing in races against men, something that had never previously been spelled out. Five years passed before women were officially accepted into the Boston Marathon in 1972, and she finished third in that race. The official who had come after her on the course in 1967 presented her with the trophy.
The moments
Kathrine Switzer's timeline.
The 1940s
Born in occupied Germany
Everyday. An army posting in a ruined country, and home at two.
The 1960s
Training with the men
Milestone, and it changed everything. She asked to train with the men's team, and somebody said yes.
She runs the distance
Milestone, and it changed everything. He set a condition to end the argument. She met it.
Enter under initials
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: enter and run it, taken, or run alongside unofficially. Women were officially accepted into the race in 1972, and she finished third.
Boston, with a number
Milestone, and it changed everything. The form did not ask, so she did not say, and they gave her a number.
An official on the course
Setback, and it changed everything. A man came onto the road to take her number off her. She kept running.
And then they banned it
Setback, and it changed everything. She ran it once, and they wrote a rule to make sure nobody else could.
A degree, then a master's
Milestone. She finished the degree while the ban was in force.
The 1970s
Women are let in
Milestone, and it changed everything. The man who came after her on the road handed her the trophy.
Boston still runs on the third Monday in April, and the field is half women now. What it has set moving is on the start line of every marathon in the world: the entry form no longer asks the question it was once used to answer, and a photograph of one man trying to pull one runner off a road is why.
Your turn
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Hers was attacked on the course at twenty and given the trophy by the same man five years later. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Kathrine Switzer: frequently asked questions
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What is Kathrine Switzer's character arc?
What happened to Kathrine Switzer at Boston in 1967?
How did Kathrine Switzer enter the Boston Marathon?
What happened after Kathrine Switzer's run?
Did Kathrine Switzer run Boston again?
What did Kathrine Switzer study?
Where does this timeline of Kathrine Switzer's life come from?
More character arcs
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Sources
- Kathrine Switzer, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- Boston Athletic Association records for 1967 and 1972.
- Amateur Athletic Union rulings on women competing against men, 1967.