Libraries Announces Kathrine Switzer Papers Open for Research
Syracuse University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is pleased to announce that the Kathrine Switzer Papers have been processed and are now open for research. The archival collection measures 103 linear feet and documents the remarkable life and career of the trailblazing marathoner, broadcast journalist, author, sports and social advocate, and SU alum.
Kathrine Switzer ’68, G’72 made history in 1967 when she became the first woman to officially register and run in the Boston Marathon. Her perseverance in the face of a race official's attempt to physically remove her from the course became one of sport's most iconic moments and a beacon for women’s rights and equality in sport. Switzer went on to win the 1974 New York City Marathon, originated and developed the Avon International Running Circuit, a landmark global women's running program instrumental in securing the inclusion of the women's marathon in the 1984 Olympic Games, and earned an Emmy Award for her sports broadcasting work. Switzer was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011 for creating positive global social change and was part of the inaugural class of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. In February 2026, Syracuse University honored Switzer by raising her iconic running bib number 261 to the rafters of the JMA Wireless Dome during an SU women’s basketball game.
The Switzer Papers have grown substantially through a series of donations beginning in 2005. The collection includes extensive photographic material, news clippings, speeches, correspondence, scrapbooks and memorabilia. A major addition to the collection, pre-inventoried by Jenny Smith G’25, Switzer’s personal archive assistant, was transferred to SCRC in July 2025. This addition significantly expanded the holdings with a substantial body of audio and video recordings documenting Switzer's decades of broadcast journalism work, global Avon Running Circuit events, Olympic coverage, interviews, speeches and appearances on programs ranging from the Oprah Winfrey show to network morning news. In total, the Kathrine Switzer Papers fill a meaningful gap in the archival record of women's athletics and Title IX-era activism. "The Kathrine Switzer Papers offer an extraordinary window into the history of women in sport and the tireless advocacy that transformed it," said Nicolette A. Dobrowolski, Director of the Special Collections Research Center. "With the significant addition of media and photographic materials in 2025, this collection is now an even richer resource for research in athletics, gender history, broadcast journalism and social change."
The processing of the collection was completed in spring 2026 and the online finding aid can be found at https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/s/switzer_k.htm. Students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to explore materials supporting research in women's and gender studies, journalism, sports history, communication, public policy, sociology and activism. Switzer noted, "Women's running has created one of the greatest social revolutions of the last century. Millions of women now run for the empowerment it brings them, changing forever their sense of limitation and power. Being a major part of making that happen has been relentless work, but also the greatest honor and privilege. I am deeply grateful to SCRC for making the documentation of this historic achievement available for broad research and engagement."
To learn more about the collection or arrange a research visit, contact SCRC at scrc@syr.edu.