Athlete solidarity, you love to see it
The athletic guy pushing away the official is her
spouseboyfriend and later husband Tom Miller, a hammer thrower. The other guy, with less hair, behind him is her trainer Arnie Briggs. https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-boston-marathon-first-female-20170417-htmlstory.html
Her Wikipedia article elaborates deeply on that incident.Still bad ass, but I was kind of getting my hopes up it was just random runners deciding to stand up against bullshit.
Incredibly powerful picture in either case.
“Spouse and later husband”? huh?
Thanks. I’ve corrected the wording.
Semple ran at Switzer and tried to rip her race number off to prevent her from continuing as an official competitor. In her memoir, she wrote:
Instinctively I jerked my head around quickly and looked square into the most vicious face I’d ever seen. A big man, a huge man, with bared teeth was set to pounce, and before I could react he grabbed my shoulder and flung me back, screaming, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers!”
Semple’s attack removed one of Switzer’s gloves, but not her race number. When Switzer’s slightly-built 50 year old coach Arnie Briggs attempted to protect Switzer, Semple knocked him to the ground. Switzer’s boyfriend, Tom Miller, who was running with her, then put his shoulder into Semple causing him to fall down. Semple complained in a 1968 interview about Miller’s success in stopping his attacks, saying, “That guy’s a hammer thrower, for cripes’ sake!”
Imagine how lucky this Semple guy is that Miller exercised restraint. Dude probably could have literally thrown Semple through the nearest building.
Also, from Semple’s Wikipedia page…
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.” Semple later publicly reconciled with Switzer. “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.”
Semple died of cancer of the liver and pancreas in March 1988 in Peabody, Massachusetts. He and Kathrine Switzer had become friends and she would visit him at the hospital where he was being treated for his cancer.
They became friends! It’s nice when people can change for the better.
Holy crap, I always assumed the runner was pushing her whenever I saw this picture. Is this often posted with a wrong caption or something?
Yeah the misogynist was so pissed that he assaulted her. I recall reading somewhere that he actually apologized for it after.
Later in life, Semple [the name of the official] 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.” Semple later publicly reconciled with Switzer. “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.”
Almost jarring to hear about someone changing their mind.
People were less educated back then. They didn’t realize that you were supposed to dig your heels in and the more opposition you get—from experts, humanists, caring volunteers who dedicate their lives to helping the disenfranchised people you hate—means you should only think what you think harder, louder, and more in everyone’s face. Crazy to see how far we’ve come.
That was really lovely
Took for the unjust rule to be adjusted for him to change his position though.
I guess it’s a powerful example that even bootlickers can be good people if you give them the right boots to lick.
Reading his Wikipedia article gives the impression that he is somewhat special.
However, looking on the cite of the director of BAA, Will Cloney, in the Wikipedia article on Switzer, made me feel glad I didn’t have breakfast yet:
Boston Athletic Association director Will Cloney—who had rejected Bobbi Gibb’s entry into the 1966 Boston Marathon giving as his reason his claim that women could not run that far—was asked his opinion of Switzer competing in the race. Although Gibb had completed the marathon the previous year with a good time, the race rule book made no mention of gender, and Switzer had a valid race registration, Cloney said: “Women can’t run in the Marathon because the rules forbid it. Unless we have rules, society will be in chaos. I don’t make the rules, but I try to carry them out. We have no space in the Marathon for any unauthorized person, even a man. If that girl were my daughter, I would spank her.”
The good timeline
The official trying to tear off her number isn’t a runner; he’s the guy in black shoes with his head barely poking above her right shoulder. The runner to her right in the photo looks like he’s pushing her, but he’s pushing the official.
Yes, the other two guys - with numbers - are her spouse (directly behind her) and her trainer (behind him). The official previously has knocked down her trainer in a prior attempt.
I’m referring to the person trying to tear off her number so she’d be disqualified.
correction: switzer was the first registered woman to compete in the boston marathon.
bobbi gibb had not only completed the marathon the year earlier, she was also an hour ahead of switzer when this iconic photo was taken (as an untegistered runner in both instances).
that’s not to take away from switzer’s own part in history, though.
Updated the title!
ESPN video of her story: https://youtu.be/U6CoScOIK_I
Briggs strongly channeling Mel Brooks. 26.2 miles of knockers jokes.
