She was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 1998.Kathrine Virginia Switzer, American sports commentator, sports marketing executive. She has received numerous citations and awards for her efforts in advancing sports opportunities for women, including a New York States Regents Medal of Excellence (1985) and Female Runner of the Decade by Runner's World Magazine. She has written two books and is currently (2006) at work on an autobiography.

Switzer has competed in 35 Marathons and in 1975 was ranked sixth in the world and third in the U.S. She has worked as a broadcast journalist, fitness expert, writer and public speaker, and as a sports commentator for ABC, NBC, CBS, Turner Sports Broadcasting, the Olympic Games and the Goodwill Games. In 1986, Switzer formed her own company, AtAlanta Sports Promotion, Inc. In 1974, she won the New York City Marathon, and her work with Avon in the early 1980s strongly influenced Olympic officials in their decision to include the women's marathon event in the 1984 Olympic Games.

Soon after that, she created and served as director of the Avon Running Program, a 26 race, 16 country circuit for women's 10K runs and 5K walks. In 1967 she was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon wearing an official race number (attempts by race officials to physically remove her from the race were thwarted by her supporters).

Kathrine Switzer was a pioneer for women's distance running.īorn in 1947, Switzer received her BA and MS from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications (1968).

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