Katherine Switzer is an American hero, the first women to register and run the Boston Marathon back in the 60s when it was a male-only event.

A race official spotted her and tried to yank her off of the course. Katherine and her colleagues weren’t having it. She persisted and finished the race.

It opened the gates for women’s competition in all levels of sports.

To this day, marathon running is the one true test of human athleticism without regard to gender. There are no red tees. There is no smaller sized ball.

Lifting weights, riding bikes, pull-ups, javelin throws…they’re all measurements of skill and endurance but marathon running is in a class of its own.

The marathon course is 26.2 miles and every runner’s individual time is electronically recorded. The starting gun goes off and the timer begins when each runner’s bib crosses the start line and ends when that bib crosses the finish.

Now that’s equality.