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Kathrine Switzer was born on January 5, 1947 in a town called Amberg in Germany.
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Her family returned to the United States in 1949. She graduated from George C. Marshall High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, then attended Lynchburg College.
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In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. During her run, race manager Jock Semple repeatedly assaulted Switzer trying to grab her bib number and stop her competing. After knocking down Switzer's trainer and fellow runner Arnie Briggs when he tried to protect her, Semple was shoved to the ground by Switzer's boyfriend, Thomas Miller, who was running with her, and she completed the race
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The AAU prohibited women from competing in races against men as a result of their running, and it was not until 1972 that the Boston Marathon established an official race for women.
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Switzer was the women's winner of the 1974 New York City Marathon, with a time of 3:07:29 (59th overall). Her personal best time for the marathon distance is 2:51:37, at Boston in 1975.
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Switzer was named Female Runner of the Decade (1967–77) by Runner's World Magazine and later became a television commentator for marathons, starting with the 1984 Olympic women's marathon, and received an Emmy for her work. In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Switzer's name and picture.
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She wrote Running and Walking for Women over 40 in 1997. She released her memoir, Marathon Woman, in April 2007, on the 40th anniversary of her first running of the Boston Marathon.
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In April 2008, Marathon Woman won the Billie Award for journalism for its inspiring portrayal of women in sports.
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She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2011 for creating a social revolution by empowering women around the world through running. Since 1967, she has worked to improve running opportunities for women in different parts of the world.
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In 2015 Kathrine Switzer launched her global non-profit 261 Fearless with an ambassador program, club training system and events. 261 Fearless uses running as the means to empower women to overcome life obstacles and embrace healthy living.
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Also in 2017, she ran the New York City Marathon, which marked the first time she had run it since 1974 and she finished in 4:48:21.
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In May 2018, Switzer was the commencement speaker at the 164th commencement of Syracuse University, and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree.
