Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.

As someone who loves running, my role model is Kathrine Switzer, who faced a lot of adversity but still overcame them and laid grounds for a lot of women like me to pursue running in marathons as our passion.

Kathrine stood up against the conventional prejudice of that time that women are frail and cannot run 42.2 km. She is an inspiration for anyone battling iniquity and mischance.

The story of her Boston marathon experience is probably one of the most moving, exhilarating and motivational sports stories known to the running world.

In 1967, when the prestigious Boston Marathon was an all-men affair only, Kathrine challenged running history by furtively, stealthy sneaking in and running the Boston marathon .

She made it happen by signing up using just her initials.

Despite being criticized and pushed off the course Kathrine did complete the race in a decent time of 4.20 hours.

With her achievement she paved the way for other female runners .

Finally, in 1972, the Boston Marathon established an official women’s race.

“When I go to the Boston Marathon now, I have wet shoulders—women fall into my arms crying. They’re weeping for joy because running has changed their lives. They feel they can do anything”.
— Kathrine Switzer, The Nation (2013).