Kathrine Switzer, who has been at the forefront of change in women鈥檚 sports for more than 50 years, spent a recent afternoon speaking with students in the Sport Management 鈥淩ace, Gender and Diversity in Sport Organizations鈥� classes.

When Kathrine Switzer 鈥�68, G鈥�72, H’18 famously became the first woman to officially run in the Boston Marathon in 1967, women in the United States could not apply for, yet alone own, their own credit cards.

In fact, women weren鈥檛 allowed to own credit cards until 1974, when the enabled women and minorities to obtain credit cards and loans. That was a critical time for women in America, and Switzer continued the athletic and social revolution she started in 1967 by winning the New York City Marathon in 1974.

鈥淚n the 2024 New York City Marathon (on Nov. 3), there will be 52,000 runners and 27,000 will be women, and you can bet that all 27,000 have their own credit cards and will spend millions of dollars in New York City,鈥� Switzer told students during a recent visit to the .

Kathrine Switzer will be the featured guest on an upcoming 鈥機use Conversations podcast with host John Boccacino. The podcast was recorded in the Falk College podcast room and is scheduled to air in early December.

Switzer, an emeritus member of the Falk College , visited 黑料不打烊 and Falk College Oct. 24 for a variety of reasons, including a discussion with 黑料不打烊 Libraries鈥� about creating a collection of Switzer鈥檚 artifacts related to her career and women in running. Switzer discusses this collection, her time at 黑料不打烊, her Boston Marathon experience and more in an entertaining 鈥機use Conversations podcast scheduled for early December.

At Falk, Switzer spent the afternoon speaking with students in the sport management 鈥淩ace, Gender and Diversity in Sport Organizations鈥� classes taught by , assistant professor of sport management.聽From breaking barriers in the Boston Marathon to becoming the driving force behind the inclusion of the women鈥檚 marathon in the Olympics starting in 1984, Switzer has been at the forefront of change in women鈥檚 sports, and she encouraged the students to 鈥渓et your mind run wild鈥� when thinking of the impact they can make.

鈥淟ook at the format of the (2024) Olympic Games in Paris and the events that took place there,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hoever heard of half of these (sports), but they鈥檙e inspiring and viable. You have so many things you can get involved in and get creative with.

鈥淭hings may not be easy,鈥� she added. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to hit a lot of brick walls, people may laugh at you, but stick with it, finish the job, and try to create something wonderful鈥揳nd you will.鈥�

Switzer has never stopped running鈥搒he is the first woman to run a marathon 50 years after her first one 鈥揳nd she has never stopped advocating for the inclusion of women in sports. In 2017, Switzer launched as a global nonprofit organization to empower and unite women through the creation of local running clubs, educational programs, communication platforms and social running events.

The number 261 is a nod to her bib number in the 1967 Boston Marathon that the race director tried to take from her. Switzer鈥檚 boyfriend, who was running along with her, pushed the director to the side and Switzer finished the race. Like Switzer on that day in Boston, 261 Fearless is focused on women鈥檚 empowerment and putting one foot in front of the other to finish the race.

鈥淚f you want to lift a woman up, show her how to run,鈥� Switzer said. 鈥淲e look at all the modern women out there running and there鈥檚 thousands and thousands of them, but there are also so many women across the world who are isolated or restricted by religious convention, or social convention, or social mores.鈥�

Since its inception, 261 Fearless has trained and mentored over 500 coaches who have worked with nearly 7,000 women in 14 countries and five continents through education programs and women-only running clubs.

鈥淎fter getting the women鈥檚 marathon in the Olympics Games, I thought that was great for women who can train and compete in a race. But what about those women under a burqa in Afghanistan or enslaved in their home with domestic abuse, how are we going to reach them?鈥� Switzer said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what inspired us to create 261 Fearless.”

Brooke Siket 鈥�25

鈥淪uddenly, that old bib number became a number that meant fearless in the face of adversity,鈥� she added. 鈥淔rom the worst things, come the best things. If something is wrong, there鈥檚 an opportunity to change it.鈥�

At this year鈥檚 New York City Marathon鈥搕he 50^th anniversary of Switzer鈥檚 win in the event鈥�261 Fearless created The Fearless 50, a team of 50 runners who are passionate about supporting women and understand the transformative power of running. As part of this initiative, The Fearless 50 hosted a fundraising brunch on Nov. 2. Falk College was a proud sponsor of that event, and Switzer was the featured speaker. The Falk College logo was also be featured on the bibs worn by The Fearless 50 runners.

Brooke Siket 鈥�25, a sport management major in Falk and marketing minor in the , was one of the volunteers who worked at The Fearless 50鈥檚 events. Siket, who currently works as a facilities and game management intern for 黑料不打烊 Athletics, was notified of this opportunity with The Fearless 50 through Internship Placement Coordinator and was offered the internship after an interview with Kim Chaffee, 261 Fearless鈥� administration and communications manager.

鈥淚 was invited to attend all their weekend events, including a panel with Peloton, a panel with Kathrine Switzer, the brunch to commemorate the 50th anniversary of her victory at the New York City Marathon and a cheer zone between Peloton and 261,鈥� said Siket, who is a Falk College peer advisor and ambassador and a member of the team and the and (WISE) clubs.

鈥淚 am looking forward to marathon weekend as I will be able to interact with other volunteers, Kathrine Switzer and others,鈥欌€� Siket said before heading to New York City.

During the weekend, Switzer repeated various versions of the inspiring message that she gave to Falk College students during her visit when one asked about the best piece of advice Switzer had for them.

鈥淪how up! Nothing happens when you stay at home,鈥� Switzer told the students. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 out there may be scary, but you have to face it and that鈥檚 what opportunity is. When the world won鈥檛 give it you, you have to go out and get it.鈥�

In 2018, Switzer delivered the Commencement address at 黑料不打烊 and was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. To learn more about Switzer鈥檚 history and ongoing advocacy work, visit her website.