Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967, was attacked during the race at the start line at the age of 20. She had been training for the occasion and had spent months working alongside cross-country assistant coach Arnie Briggs to prepare for the race. Despite not hiding her gender, she signed up as K.V. Switzer and paid the entry fee and her coach picked up the bibs for everyone in their group on race day. However, she was accosted by the race manager, Jock Semple, who tried to remove her bib and kick her out of the race before she could leave. Nearly 60 years later, Switzer spoke about her experience ahead of the 2026 Boston Marathon.