Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports [Paperback]

Kathrine Switzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2009

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to officially run what was then the all male Boston Marathon, infuriating one of the event’s directors who attempted to violently eject her. In what would become an iconic sports image, Switzer escaped and finished the race. This was a watershed moment for the sport, as well as a significant event in women’s history.

Including updates from the 2008 Summer Olympics, the paperback edition of Marathon Woman details the life of an incredible, pioneering athlete, and the lasting effect she’s had on women’s sports. Switzer’s energy and drive permeate the pages of this warm, witty memoir as she describes everything from the childhood events that inspired her to succeed to her big win in the 1974 New York City Marathon, and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Deseret Morning News, 4/18/09
“The photographs included are amazing, as is her story of how running transformed her life and how she used it to create more opportunities for other women."

 

Inside Texas Running, May 2011

“Brilliant race descriptions and personal life stories.”

About the Author

Kathrine Switzer is an Emmy-winning television commentator who has covered numerous Olympics and marathons worldwide. The author of Running and Walking for Women Over 40, she lives and runs in New York and New Zealand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738213292
• ISBN-13: 978-0738213293
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, great writing April 3, 2007

By L. Montgomery

Format:Hardcover

I picked up this book a week ago at a race expo (and also had the opportunity to meet and chat with Kathrine Switzer). I devoured this book within a few days. Her writing is great, her story compelling and inspiring. She weaves together the story of her own personal running history, the history of womens long distance running, her quest to have the marathon included as a womens event in the Olympics (a monumental feat), including her own interpersonal struggles with the men in her life and development of her career along the way. Her writing was very candid, occasionally funny, and she had a wonderful way of including and articulating some of her more trivial thoughts and incidents, which brought the book to life.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and compelling April 8, 2007

By Patrick C. Higgs

Format:Hardcover

Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports

I read a good bit both professionally, and for pleasure. Marathon Woman is the absolute best non-fiction book I have ever read. From the moment I picked the book up, I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. I simply could not put it down. Ms. Switzer has a very easy reading, conversational style to her writing that makes the reader feel as if she is standing next to you relating an exciting event. What struck me the most about the book is that it is far more than a compelling and interesting story. It is also far more than a running story. Instead it is almost a textbook on responsibility, without the preaching we have all come to expect when that word is used. Traits such as persistance, effort, planning, and doing something because it is the right thing to do, shine throughout the whole book. Yet while readers come to greatly admire the courage of Ms. Switzer, we are also seeing exactly how we can apply the belief that if you want something, are willing to put in the effort, and you stick with it, you are most likely to succeed. It was an inspiring and very enlightening book. I can't want to read her next one!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not great April 6, 2012

By smd

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It was so great for me to read about what it was like to be a woman runner before that was OK - as a 20something, it made me recognize how much I took for granted. I've seen the photos of Kathrine Switzer running Boston what feels like a thousand times, and it was enlightening to hear about it from her perspective. I enjoyed reading about her running career, but parts of it just dragged for me. There was a lot about her job with Avon and other professional responsibilities which just didn't interest me as much, although if you're more interested in the PR and race organization you'd probably like it quite a bit. I also just got the feeling that she doesn't like other women very much. There are lots of off-hand derogatory remarks about feminists, which I don't quite understand. In some ways, it was interesting to read about how she was operating in a completely different sphere than the woman's rights movement - but I kept wondering what might have happened if they had worked together! All in all, an interesting read, but not one that I loved.