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My first thought at looking at those pictures is just how small-minded and petty this is. What on Earth was he hoping to accomplish? At first I thought it was s

My first thought at looking at those pictures is just how small-minded and petty this is. What on Earth was he hoping to accomplish? At first I thought it was some random weirdo, but then I read the article and realized he's the co-director of the marathon!

bwanab 10y ago
In an interview on NPR, she said that they later became good friends and that he became a big supporter of women running.
- swang 10y ago
  Here is them together at the marathon 5 years later in 1973 http://www.gettyimages.com/license/515108138 http://www.gettyimages.com/license/515108138
  - tantalor 10y ago
    Here they are together...
    - swang 10y ago
      haha i didn't even notice that. typed it out really fast. whoops!
burkaman 10y ago
At the time he claimed he had no problem with women running, as it's public property and anyone can run down the street, but they weren't allowed to officially sign up as the event was run by the AAU and they didn't allow women in long distance events. Sort of a "I don't make the rules, I just enforce them" excuse. Technically Switzer was not the first woman to run the marathon, Bobbi Gibb finished the year before but wasn't an official participant because they had denied her application for a bib.
- Steko 10y ago
  This guy seems to have been an all around meathead. He had been in the long-time habit of physically attacking those he perceived to be "non serious" runners competing in the race, whether officially entered or running the course unofficially. In a 1968 interview with Sports Illustrated, he called them "These screwballs! These weirdies! These MIT boys! These Tufts characters! These Harvard guys!" According to fellow race official Will Cloney: "He hurls not only his body at them, but also a rather choice array of epithets... Jock's method of attack is apt to vary." In 1957, Semple had narrowly escaped arrest for assault after attempting to tackle a runner in swim fins and a snorkeling mask But seems to have come around eventually: Later in life, Semple reversed his position on women competing in the marathon. According to Marja Bakker (a later organizer of the race), "Once the rule was adjusted and women were allowed in the race, Jock was one of their staunchest supporters. He was very progressive."[7] Semple later publicly reconciled with Switzer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Semple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Semple
js2 10y ago
Both Katherine Switzer and Bobbi Gibb defend him. The explanation is that Boston was an accredited marathon and that Switzer had obtained her entry via false pretenses. He was conerned that if he allowed her to finish with her bib, the entire race could be discredited. So he was defending his race. It wasn't that she was running it that upset him, but that she was trying to do so as an official entrant against the rules. At least, that's the explanation I heard from Bobbi Gibb on Sunday.
- jonshariat 10y ago
  I wonder what it takes to get accreditation? All I can think of is 1. Verified distance
  - js2 10y ago
    I had heard that at the time the race was under the auspices of the AAU. But I'm not sure if that's exactly correct. Switzer writes that Semple was upset about having been duped: Runner No. 261 had violated the sacred code of the institution that was his baby. She deserved to be punished – and if Cloney couldn’t do the job, then Jock Semple would. “This wasn’t just about me being a girl,” Switzer said. “Jock probably would have left me alone if I was just running along like Bobbi. It was the number that got him. I had made him look like a fool.” These days U.S. road races are run under the rules of U.S.A Track and Field (USATF) which is an affiliate of the IAAF. The rules only really matter though if the course is to be record eligible. Many of your local 5K/10K charity runs may not be certified. Regarding Boston, to run it one first has to complete a marathon in a qualifying time on a course that is certified by the USATF/IAAF. This basically means the course is correclty measured for distance, has a certification number, and follows the USATF/IAAF rules. Here's the certification procedure: http://www.usatf.org/Products-/-Services/Course-Certifications/USATF-Certified-Courses/Certify-Your-Course.aspx http://www.usatf.org/Products-/-Services/Course-Certificatio... Interstingly, the Boston Marathon is not eligible for setting world records since its net downhill is greater than the allowable amount.
rsync 10y ago
"My first thought at looking at those pictures is" In my opinion the more interesting picture(s) are of the 70yo K.S. herself. We live in an extremely sedentary culture where obesity has become normalized and it is jarring to see what people of (relatively) advanced age actually look like.
- SmellyGeekBoy 10y ago
  Older long distance runners always strike me as surprisingly youthful-looking. Food for thought.

bwanab 10y ago

In an interview on NPR, she said that they later became good friends and that he became a big supporter of women running.

swang 10y ago
Here is them together at the marathon 5 years later in 1973 http://www.gettyimages.com/license/515108138 http://www.gettyimages.com/license/515108138
- tantalor 10y ago
  Here they are together...
  - swang 10y ago
    haha i didn't even notice that. typed it out really fast. whoops!

burkaman 10y ago

At the time he claimed he had no problem with women running, as it's public property and anyone can run down the street, but they weren't allowed to officially sign up as the event was run by the AAU and they didn't allow women in long distance events. Sort of a "I don't make the rules, I just enforce them" excuse. Technically Switzer was not the first woman to run the marathon, Bobbi Gibb finished the year before but wasn't an official participant because they had denied her application for a bib.

Steko 10y ago
This guy seems to have been an all around meathead. He had been in the long-time habit of physically attacking those he perceived to be "non serious" runners competing in the race, whether officially entered or running the course unofficially. In a 1968 interview with Sports Illustrated, he called them "These screwballs! These weirdies! These MIT boys! These Tufts characters! These Harvard guys!" According to fellow race official Will Cloney: "He hurls not only his body at them, but also a rather choice array of epithets... Jock's method of attack is apt to vary." In 1957, Semple had narrowly escaped arrest for assault after attempting to tackle a runner in swim fins and a snorkeling mask But seems to have come around eventually: Later in life, Semple reversed his position on women competing in the marathon. According to Marja Bakker (a later organizer of the race), "Once the rule was adjusted and women were allowed in the race, Jock was one of their staunchest supporters. He was very progressive."[7] Semple later publicly reconciled with Switzer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Semple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Semple

js2 10y ago

Both Katherine Switzer and Bobbi Gibb defend him. The explanation is that Boston was an accredited marathon and that Switzer had obtained her entry via false pretenses. He was conerned that if he allowed her to finish with her bib, the entire race could be discredited. So he was defending his race. It wasn't that she was running it that upset him, but that she was trying to do so as an official entrant against the rules. At least, that's the explanation I heard from Bobbi Gibb on Sunday.

jonshariat 10y ago
I wonder what it takes to get accreditation? All I can think of is 1. Verified distance
- js2 10y ago
  I had heard that at the time the race was under the auspices of the AAU. But I'm not sure if that's exactly correct. Switzer writes that Semple was upset about having been duped: Runner No. 261 had violated the sacred code of the institution that was his baby. She deserved to be punished – and if Cloney couldn’t do the job, then Jock Semple would. “This wasn’t just about me being a girl,” Switzer said. “Jock probably would have left me alone if I was just running along like Bobbi. It was the number that got him. I had made him look like a fool.” These days U.S. road races are run under the rules of U.S.A Track and Field (USATF) which is an affiliate of the IAAF. The rules only really matter though if the course is to be record eligible. Many of your local 5K/10K charity runs may not be certified. Regarding Boston, to run it one first has to complete a marathon in a qualifying time on a course that is certified by the USATF/IAAF. This basically means the course is correclty measured for distance, has a certification number, and follows the USATF/IAAF rules. Here's the certification procedure: http://www.usatf.org/Products-/-Services/Course-Certifications/USATF-Certified-Courses/Certify-Your-Course.aspx http://www.usatf.org/Products-/-Services/Course-Certificatio... Interstingly, the Boston Marathon is not eligible for setting world records since its net downhill is greater than the allowable amount.

rsync 10y ago

"My first thought at looking at those pictures is" In my opinion the more interesting picture(s) are of the 70yo K.S. herself. We live in an extremely sedentary culture where obesity has become normalized and it is jarring to see what people of (relatively) advanced age actually look like.

SmellyGeekBoy 10y ago
Older long distance runners always strike me as surprisingly youthful-looking. Food for thought.