In 1967, a woman dared to run the Boston Marathon when women were barred, officials tried to pull her out mid-race

Kathrine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon in 1967, defying rules barring women from the race. A race official attempted to remove her bib number during the event. Her boyfriend intervened, allowing her to continue running the entire marathon. This act of defiance led to women being officially allowed to compete five years later. Today, women comprise nearly half of the modern Boston Marathon’s participants.