Those who paved the way: A (brief) history of women at the Boston Marathon

Kathrine Switzer entered the 1967 Marathon as "K. Switzer." When she was spotted in the race, Jock Semple tried to rip the number off her shirt and remove her from the course.Paul J. Connell/Globe Staff

The history of the Boston Marathon runs deep for many — even back to a time when not all were welcome to run.

In 1966, 23-year-old Bobbi Gibb became the first female finisher of the Marathon, but one setback prohibited her from basking in the glory of this accomplishment: her gender.

It was viewed as socially objectionable for females to run long distances in the 1960s — the sweat and physical exertion did not align with the values of the time. The Amateur Athletic Union barred women from competing in races over a two-mile distance, and used myths as the backbone of its defense.

Society was led to believe that if a woman experienced the strain of running a long-distance race, then her uterus would fall out. Luckily for society, a few trailblazing women were eager to prove people wrong.

Gibb finished the 1966 marathon as an unregistered participant, beginning a movement to find a place for women in long distance running.

The following year, a 20-year-old Syracuse University student registered for the race as K. Switzer, with a sweatshirt hood over her head as a disguise at the starting line.

K. Switzer — better known as Kathrine — became the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon as a registered participant, but the obstacles she faced were tremendous.

After beginning the race, Marathon chairman Will Cloney and race director Jock Semple ambushed Switzer in an attempt to shove her off the course and rip off her No. 261 bib, but her male teammates at Syracuse who were running alongside her fended them off.

As the first female to cross the race’s finish line sporting a bib number, No. 261 has since been ceremoniously retired in Switzer’s honor — highlighting the significance of this milestone.

Gibb didn’t make it to the finish line in 1967, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Cloney pulled her off the track as she was about to cross, which would have been over an hour before Switzer finished. She went on to compete again in 1968.

Sara Mae Berman carried on the cause as the Boston Marathon’s unofficial winner from 1969 to 1971.

Then, finally, change happened.

In fall of 1971, the AAU formally permitted the inclusion of women in long-distance running, including the Boston Marathon. When the 1972 race approached, eight bold women — including Switzer and Berman — stood at the starting line.

Seven of the eight women who ran in the first official field are pictured before the race in 1972 (from left): Nina Kuscsik (who won the inaugural race), Kathrine Switzer Miller, Elaine Pedersen, Ginny Collins, Pat Barrett, Frances Morrison, and Sara Mae Berman.Handout

Nina Kuscsik led the way, finishing in 3:10:26. She went on to win the New York City Marathon a few months later — becoming the first woman to be victorious in New York and Boston the same year.

Female entrants in the Boston Marathon have now reached over 15,000 in select years, but it’s important to remember the stories of those who paved the way.

In 2017, Switzer crossed the Boston Marathon starting line — 50 years after becoming the first registered woman to do so.

Members of the 1972 inaugural women’s field — Pat Barrett, Valerie Rogosheske, Kuscsik, Berman, and Switzer — also returned to the race course in 2022 to celebrate their 50 year anniversary.

“Standing on the start line 50 years ago with the other seven women, there was a spark of excitement in the air, and I remember all of us knowing that no one was going to drop out, no one was going to walk,” Rogosheske told the Globe in 2022. “I think over the years the importance of that day has grown in my mind.”