ABSTRACT
This chapter examines historical experiences of women in United States distance running from the 1967 Boston Marathon onward, with particular focus on how women's experiences in distance running diverged from the experiences of male distance runners. Mainstream media coverage of women's running, along with the bulk of historical work on women in distance running, has focused on the Boston Marathon exploits of Kathrine Switzer as a pivotal moment in the history of women's distance running. Jutel documents the ways in which certain female runners are remembered and others forgotten. As endurance events gradually came to accept women participants and cause-based fundraising, distance running was becoming democratized on another front. The bold actions of Kathrine Switzer and early race sponsors Bonne Bell and Avon did much to engender the participation of women in distance running and walking events. As women's distance running events proliferated, so did the women's running community.
