Bobbi Gibb's Motivation For Running In The 1964 Boston Marathon

Motivation to run comes in many different forms, it can be the need to finish an omnipresent goal, the need to prove something, or it could be to simply push yourself to a limit you did not know you had. For Bobbi Gibb and Kathrine Switzer, it was all of the above. For 75 years women were not allowed to run in the Boston Marathon. Many people in this time frame believed that a woman did not have the physical or substantial ability to run long distances, especially the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon. Bobbi and Kathrine would not stand for this conflict and through their actions created a compromise.

In 1966 the world of an American woman was limited in almost every aspect, from her workplace, to even her family life. Women were to follow

one path- one full domestic femininity, and one that definitely did not include running.

Remember when you were an eight-year-old kid, running through the woods. Remember the feeling of absolute freedom as you felt the wind in your hair. Most women stopped running around that age, but, Bobbi Gibb was one of the few women to not let the pressure of society stop her from doing what she loved. On April 19, 1966, Bobbi Gibb was the first woman to unofficially run the Boston Marathon. After witnessing the 1964 Boston Marathon, Bobbi recognized a familiar passion for running in the athletes. Bobbi decided she too wanted to participate in this extreme challenge. But, because running was a male-dominated sport, and Bobbi was the first woman to penetrate this field, she faced some challenges. When Bobbi applied for the race, she was denied entry. The Ameteur Athletic Union aka the (AAU) did not believe

that a woman could run a marathon, in fact, the only AAU approved long distance race for women was a one and a half mile race. Bobbi decided that she was not going to let other people's lack of knowledge about female physical capabilities stop her from running. As a pioneer into uncharted territory, Gibb had no knowledge of how to train for a marathon. Fear that running too far would mundanely harm her, and no coach or running manuals to follow. Yet, over time she was able to institute enough stamina to run 26 miles. Proving to herself that she had more than enough endurance to run the boston marathon.
Bobbi then followed her heart to the starting line.

Fearing someone might try to stop her, Bobbi left for the marathon without telling anyone except her mother. Bobbi wore her brother's Bermuda shorts, men's running shoes, and a hooded sweatshirt. And hid behind some bushes about 150 feet in front of the starting line. after about half of the men passed her hiding spot, she jumped in the race. Bobbi states that she was very anxious while running because she thought that if the police spotted her illegally running, that she would be arrested. However, the men that ran next to her said that they would not let anything happen to her. When Bobbi finished, she was not offered food or water. But instead, taken into a room for an

interview.
In 1967 Bobbi returned to unofficially race again, however, this time she was not alone. This year Kathrine Switzer ran, except not unofficially. Kathrine signed up with her initials K.V. Switzer. Kathrine declared that she was not trying to avert detection, she had been signing her name with her initials to avoid her name being misspelled. Unlike the usual spelling, Kathrine's name does not have the e in the middle. If Kathrine's dad hadn’t misspelled her name on her birth certificate, history might have been changed.
Unlike Bobbi, Kathrine did have a coach to help her run, but he did not believe that a woman could run a marathon. Arnie promised that if Kathrine could show him in practice that she could run 26 miles, then he would be the first to take her to the Boston Marathon. Not only did Kathrine show Arnie that she could run 26 miles, but she proved that she could run 32.