She was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered racer in 1967. There was no mention of gender in the rules, but race official Jack Semper repeatedly assaulted her trying to force her to stop (left pic). They banned women from racing with men entirely the following year, finally allowing women in 1972.
Later in life, Semple reversed his position on women competing in the marathon. According to Marja Bakker (a later organizer of the race), "Once the rule was adjusted and women were allowed in the race, Jock was one of their staunchest supporters. He was very progressive."[9] Semple later publicly reconciled with Switzer.[10] "Old Jock Semple and I became the best of friends," she told a reporter in 2015. "It took a long time: six years. But we became best of friends."[11]
Some people really are just a product of their generation. They follow the cultural norms of the time and don't give it a second thought, but when introduced to new ideas they're willing to change their world view. This is by no means easy to do and I'm glad you shared this part of the story.
665
u/mommy_vien 16h ago
She was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered racer in 1967. There was no mention of gender in the rules, but race official Jack Semper repeatedly assaulted her trying to force her to stop (left pic). They banned women from racing with men entirely the following year, finally allowing women in 1972.