As she tells it, there were no official written rules saying only men could enter the race.

Unlike Gibb, Switzer managed to score a bib in 1967 by signing up with her initials, K.V. To start, women are welcome in the Boston Marathon and other major races. Plenty has changed in running since 1967, thanks in part to Switzer’s efforts. “The race today was a celebration of the past 50 years the next 50 are going to be even better.” “What happened on the streets of Boston 50 years ago completely changed my life and changed other people’s lives,” she said in a phone interview after the race. But the photo exposed the ugly nature of sexism in sports, thrusting Switzer into the spotlight.

After all, another woman, Roberta Bingay Gibb, had completed the Boston Marathon in 1966 without a bib. Switzer has said she did not intend to break barriers by entering the race. The 1967 encounter was captured in an iconic photo that turned Switzer into a hero and launched her career as an advocate for women in sports. Kathrine Switzer finishes the Boston Marathon on Monday.

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