Only 54 years ago, 20 year old Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. The race manager repeatedly assaulted Switzer, even knocking down her trainer when he tried to protect her. The race manager was finally  shoved to the ground by Switzer’s boyfriend who was running with her, and she completed the race.

By age 70, Switzer still ran marathons and even completed the Berlin Marathon in 2011 to launch the German edition of Marathon Woman.