Running icon Kathrine Switzer will be speaking at the Toronto Marathon expo this May. The first woman to register and run the Boston Marathon–dodging an official who tried to pull her off the course in the process–Switzer is also the founder of the global non-profit 261 Fearless.
You’ll have two chances to hear Switzer and her colleague Emily Ertel speak at the Better living Centre (195 Princes Blvd, Toronto):
- Friday May 3rd at 4pm
- Saturday May 4th at 2pm
Both talks are free to attend and you can register now!
Fearless 261 is founded in the spirit of Switzer’s groundbreaking run at the 1967 Boston Marathon. The organization’s mission is to, “use running as a vehicle to empower and unite women through the creation of local running clubs, education programs, communication platforms, and social running events.”
While in Toronto, Swizter and Ertel are hoping to recruit new “261 Coaches” to establish and lead local run clubs and connect with fellow coaches from around the world.
“Running for women is beyond sport; it transforms and empowers women in everything they do,” explains Switzer. “There are women all over Canada—not just in cities like Toronto, but in remote areas —who need the support and confidence that the 261 Fearless running program can give them. And there are women in Canada who would love to show them how they can do it.”
Find out more about Switzer’s upcoming Toronto visit and 261 Fearless here.
Fun Facts, Amazing– But True:
- Just about everyone who runs knows the story about Kathrine Switzer’s first run in the 1967 Boston Marathon, where an official tried to pull off her bib number and throw her out of the race—because she was a female. The Marathon was a men’s-only event then and Switzer’s celebrated entry and finish in the Boston Marathon was the spark that ignited the women’s running revolution.
- Fifty years ago it would have been difficult to imagine that now more than 50% of the runners in the USA and Canada are women!
- In 2017, after Switzer (at age 70) ran the Boston Marathon in celebration of the 50th anniversary of that first historic run, the Boston Athletic Association retired bib number 261 with honor from further competition in the Boston Marathon.
Info via 261 Fearless.
