Kathrine Switzer smashed gender barriers 50 years ago when she became the first woman to officially complete the Boston Marathon. Switzer, then 20, donned lipstick and earrings when she showed up to the 1967 Boston Marathon as the race’s first official female competitor. As she made her way to the starting line, then-boyfriend Tom Miller encouraged her to wipe off her lipstick, worried she might provoke race officials. Miller helped fend off the attack, but press photographers captured the tense scene, which became a symbol of sexism in sports. The image thrust Switzer into stardom and inspired her decades-long advocacy for women’s equality.

Source: Huffington Post April 17, 2017 16:07 UTC