“Well-behaved women rarely make history.” Just ask Kathrine Switzer, the original trailblazer of the women’s running world; the trailblazer who became the first woman to officially complete the Boston Marathon in 1967, even after race officials tried to stop her. Her bib number, 261, became a symbol of rebellion and fearlessness, sparking a revolution of women’s empowerment.
The fearless step of one woman lead to the creation of 261 Fearless, the global community helping women become fearless through running. To date, we impacted woman running groups in 13 nations by educating hundreds of women to become 261 Coaches. Those Coaches now support thousands of women around the world to get active and take ownership of their lives through running.
Today on March 8, on International Women’s Day we spotlight other women who were fearless and paved the way for change. Find out more about the trailblazers in women’s history:
Masha Torabi is the first woman to publicly complete a marathon in Iran although she had to do it by starting under the cover of darkness and unofficially because women weren’t allowed to officially enter. “When I reached to finish line I was so happy. I showed women can run in marathons and I showed women have strength.”
Junko Tabei was a Japanese mountaineer. She was the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and first woman to ascend the Seven Summits, climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents.
Alfonsia Strada was an Italian cyclist. She won her first race around age 13, winning a live pig. She earned the nickname “Devil in a Dress” by her neighbors. In 1924, Strada raced the Giro d’Italia, one of the world’s longest and most prestigious stage races, as the lone woman among men.
