Kathrine Switzer running at the all-male Boston Marathon, 1967
It’s easy to forget that no too long ago, women were excluded from the most basic activities, such as running. In 1967 the Boston marathon was an all-male marathon, meaning that women weren’t allowed to participate.

Kathrine Switzer was determined to challenge this old tradition and send a message to all women out there, and she did. This photo shows the race officials trying to remove her from the course two miles into the race.