2 ms·

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

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