Marathon Woman

The battle for women's rights in athletics seems almost quaint and definitely silly now. How could we preclude half of the population from enjoying what men enjoyed since the rise of leisure time? Did medical experts really claim that women couldn't run long distances, or that they couldn't handle the strain of playing full-court basketball? It is easy to forgot what it took to get us to where we are now. So Kathrine Switzer's book, "Marathon Woman," serves as an excellent reminder of those past struggles. The first part of this autobiography, which actually extends only through 1984, deals with how she became the female to be officially entered and run the Boston Marathon. She used an initial for a first name on the entry form, and she had to fend off Jock Semple, an official at the Marathon to do so, but she finished the race. Suddenly, all things female in long-distance running looked a lot more possible. Her stories about preparation for Boston are extremely detailed, as if she was taking notes along the way. Switzer could have been content with being a trivia question and moving on to other areas of life, but she was smart enough and clever enough to carve out a niche in running. She graduated from college and juggled all sorts of responsibilities. Switzer spent some time training to become one of America's best marathoners while earning enough money to pay the bills and doing paid and unpaid work in order to push the cause along. The one question that comes up is: Did the woman ever sleep in the 1970's? The steps were slow but steady. Switzer eventually hooked on with Avon, which set up a series of races around the world. Good women runners seemed to be falling out of trees to win races for a while, as potential became performance. In 1980, a women's marathon was held in London, and the event featured top athletes from around the world. The next year, the Olympics added a women's marathon to its schedule for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. They have stayed there ever since. It's always instructive to read books about struggles like this to see where the resistance comes from. In sports, the athletes rarely push back. They often are just happy that more people are participating. Indeed, Switzer was generally encouraged to run by her male counterparts. No, it's the bureaucracy that sticks to the "we've never done it this way" attitude until pushed against the wall. Switzer goes all in when it comes to her story, revealing much about herself in this very candid story. She's paid a price for her quest, mostly in her personal relationships. Her book checks in at a lengthy 400 pages, which may be a little too much detail for some, and it could have been written 20 years ago. She's been busy in the meantime, writing other books and doing media work. Then again, maybe that's a sign that Switzer has more of her life story to tell than was revealed in "Marathon Woman." Part two of this tale no doubt will be as interesting as part one.

She is my idol and hero. I started running because my Dad did in school, I keptnrinning because I liked it. The Army made me hate it, then i was reading up on Womans Rights and came across Katherine's name. My daughter and I were walking at the time and I was bored needed more exercise. Running was added and has stayed. This book and Hal Higdons are my favorites definitely rereads

This is the perfect book to give to a female running partner! Reading Kathrine's story of personal and athletic growth was most inspiring. As well as being an honest and insightful autobiography of her personal and athletic growth, the book really lets you in on the world of networking, marketing and how people influence each other. You see how things can get done with a person's determination and focus -- in the business world as well as through the rigors of athletic training. Kathrine tells pretty much her whole story; whatever she has left out was probably appropriate abridgement, because what we see of her seems pretty complete for the purposes of this book. What an adventure it was at the start of women's running! You get a step-by-step unfolding of what it took to get to that excellent moment in 1984, when Joan Benoit crossed the finish line of the first women's marathon in the Olympic Games. Runners will especially enjoy this book, but it will be interesting to anyone who enjoys reading about people who make a postive difference in the world.

Very readable and amazing account of Kathrine Switzer's story, turning a negative event into a positive calling to fight for the acceptance of women in long-distance running, including the push for a women's marathon in the Olympics. And she continues her advocacy. Recently she founded a non-profit organization, 261 Fearless (named after her bib in the 1967 Boston marathon and the feeling so many have after hearing her story), whose goal is to organize non-competitive running organizations for women. I am proud to say that just two weeks ago, as a member of the 261 Fearless Boston 2017 team, I was able fund raise for this organization, and toe the start line with her and 100+ members of our team, cerebrating the 50th anniversary of her iconic run. The book, like Kathrine, is inspirational. I highly recommend it.

I selected this book for my book club. Most of us liked the book but stopped at the halfway or 2/3 mark or had ton push ourselves to finish it. It felt like the climax occurred at the 2/3 point, and it dragged after that.The first 2/3 of the book is wonderful though. Very inspiring and interesting read about how Switzer, who considers herself an average athlete, developed her running ability and broke barriers in the sport of running. The explanation of sports marketing was also fascinating.

Bought it as a gift. They liked it. Good story.

Great book. No problems with sellerWorth very cent

As an avid runner, I found the story of Kathrine very compelling. I did not really know about her and never considered how hard it was for women to get accepted in something that today is extremely common and natural which is their participation in endurance events where many experts agree that physiologically, they are better suited for long distance running. The story is not recent but the lessons from the book are timeless. Do something you love. Pursue your dreams. Be patient. Persevere. This is a good story, it has a powerful message.

Packed with hilarious anecdotes, gossip from behind the scenes of major marathons, life lessons, and numerous fabulous photos, Marathon Woman is one of the best running books I've ever read. Be warned, however - do not read this book while you're alone as parts of it are so funny or moving you'll deeply regret not having had someone to read them out aloud to (as I continually did to my long-suffering husband while on holiday!)Having seen the iconic photos of the day a race official tried to rip off Kathrine's race number when she entered the all-male Boston Marathon I was keen to know more about the incident and the woman who caused such a stir, and this book - part memoir, part historical document, part love story - certainly delivered on all counts. Fifteen years after I first started running marathons (I've now done 36 and two 56-mile ultras), it came as a real surprise to learn that being `allowed' to run 26.2 miles, which was seen as too gruelling for us delicate ladies, was all thanks to Kathrine Switzer. This is because she didn't just pave the way for elite women to enter marathons and campaign to get the women's marathon recognised as an Olympic sport, she tirelessly fought to make marathon running accessible to women throughout the world by developing the mass-participation women-only Avon Running programme.Kathrine is a very experienced and accomplished journalist and this is evident throughout the book - she knows exactly how to keep you feverishly turning the pages by weaving strands from her often turbulent personal life with details of her punishing training schedule and stellar career. Kathrine's story is proof that the right training programme and sheer guts can turn an `ordinary' runner into an exceptional one (even if you have to work and commute): she ran her first marathon in a very average time of 4h20, went on to win the 1974 New York City Marathon with a time of 3h07, and subsequently did a PB of 2h51 in Boston in 1975. As a super-slow runner, who came last in three marathons in 2012, I found her story incredibly inspirational.There are so many lessons to learn from Kathrine's journey: it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission (to satisfy her employer Avon, for whom she did PR, she strung a banner advertising the brand across the finish line of the Avon International Marathon in London at the last minute - so cunningly side-stepping the BBC's ban on advertising), that one should never let good ideas go to waste (she based her proposal for the Avon Running programme on scribbled notes she stuffed into a shoebox over many years) and that hard work always pays off.I was formerly a fitness-phobe and marathon running has transformed my life and motivated me to write my book Running Made Easy  Zest: Running Made Easy (Zest Magazine) , which has inspired thousands of women in the UK to give walk/running a go. I only wish I could have read Kathrine's life-affirming book in my 20s as I'm sure it would have encouraged me to take up running 10 years earlier than I did. In Marathon Woman, Kathrine repeatedly proves how running is so much more than putting one foot in front of the other - it's a way of empowering us and giving life meaning. Zest: Running Made Easy (Zest Magazine)

Really good book, honest and very interesting. Loved it.

Interesting reading but slow going. Feel like I should finish it rather than being desperate to sit down with it.

An inspirational book by one of running's most pioneering women. I couldn't put this book down!

Such an motivation inspirational book, just love it. A must for any runner women or men.