Kathrine Switzer

Kathrine Switzer is an athlete, activist, author, and the woman who wore the iconic bib number 261 in the 1967 Boston Marathon. That was the moment that started a movement for women’s inclusion and equality in running, and the beginning of what has become Kathrine’s lifelong mission to empower women around the world. In 1974, two years after women were officially allowed to enter the race, Kathrine won the New York City Marathon. This year’s TCS New York City Marathon marks 50 years since that historic day. After years of advocating for women’s running, and hearing stories from women who wore the number 261 as a symbol of strength, she co-founded 261 Fearless, Inc. with nationally ranked swimmer-turned-distance runner, Edith Zuschmann (CEO & President).

261 Fearless

We are the global non-profit empowering women through running and education.

At 261 Fearless, we believe RUNNING and EDUCATION are key players for empowerment, so we aim to provide WOMEN of all backgrounds ACCESS to both. We inspire, motivate, and educate women around the world to step into their power and become leaders in their local communities, so they can support others to run and lead healthy, fearless, and empowered lives. Since our launch in 2017, we are proud to have educated and mentored over 500 Coaches, serving almost 7,000 women in 14 countries on five continents through our professionallydeveloped range of education programs and global network of non-competitive, women-only running clubs.

Learn more at 261fearless.org

Fearless 50

The Fearless 50 is the name we’ve given to our 2024 TCS NYC Marathon Charity Team, consisting of 50 runners who are passionate about supporting women, understand the transformative power of running, and believe that one person can spark a revolution. They have committed to run the race and raise funds to benefit 261 Fearless, Inc.’s mission to empower women of all backgrounds through running and education. Why 50? The reason is two-fold: First, we look back to celebrate how far we’ve come in the 50 years since Kathrine Switzer won the NYC Marathon in 1974. Now, we look forward as we strengthen our commitment to empower women through running over the next 50 years.

“Having the amazing opportunity to run in support of 261 Fearless has been life-transformative, lifetherapeutic, and life-giving. Running has always been how I identified myself-now, running has a real important purpose.“
Lee Ann, 261 Fearless Charity Runner

“I know that together, we can achieve a lot more.”

-Fereshteh

Escaped life in Afghanistan and became a 261 Coach in Austria