Your first marathon is like having sex for the first time: you’ll never forget it. I told that to a group of women once and one of them screamed, ‘Oh my God, I hope it’s not THAT bad!’

Seriously, the more prepared and knowledgeable you are, the more you can enjoy the experience, notice your surroundings, make friends on the way, soak in your own amazing greatness.

My first marathon was actually a practice run of the full distance, as I had to show my coach I could do it. This was in early 1967 and he didn’t believe any woman anywhere could possibly run a marathon, despite the fact several had. We argued and finally he said if I showed him in practice I could cover the distance, he’d take me to the Boston Marathon, which I was really keen on doing.

We ran the practice run together and as we came into our ‘finish line’ 26.2 miles/42.2K later he was full of praise and wonder. I felt much better than I thought I would, so I suggested that ‘just to be sure’ we run another 5 miles/8K. He was hesitant but we trudged on and about a mile from our finish, he began to go all rubber legged and disoriented. I pulled him along saying, “C’mon, only one more mile, c’mon we can do it”. When we finished what was now a 31/50K mile run, I flung my arms around him and said, “We’re going to Boston!” and my coach promptly fainted. He woke up saying, “Women have hidden potential in endurance and stamina!”

My coach insisted I enter Boston officially. He said people should not just jump into races [as some women did]; that the officials hated that. We checked the rule book and there was nothing about gender. So I paid my $2 entry fee and signed the entry form as I always sign my name: K.V. Switzer. I began signing my name that way when I was 12 as my dad had miss-spelled my name on my birth certificate, and consequently Kathrine was always changed to Katherine and it annoyed me. I probably wouldn’t have been given a bib if officials saw Kathrine on the form.

Now everyone knows the story about how at about 1.5 miles into the race, the race director attacked me because I was a GIRL in HIS race, and he tried to rip off my bib numbers. My boyfriend (a big guy) knocked the official away and, quite terrified, we all ran on with the press truck in hot pursuit. It’s funny in the re-telling, but it was awful – awful – at the time and, in fact, for several years after. I was so angry and humiliated that I said to my coach that, no matter what, I was going to finish, even on my hands and knees. I finished in 4 hours 20 minutes. And my life was changed forever.

So my advice to a first time (anytime) marathoner is this: the marathon is amazing and it will change your life. So be prepared for it. If you can, run more than 20 miles in training. The last 10K of a marathon feels like the first 20 miles. The long run every week is critical because it teaches the body how to convert from burning glycogen (sugar, energy) into burning fat. Women have an advantage with fat. It’s a fuel source, but only training long helps you to utilise it when you need it most, ie, running a marathon. To stay injury-free, do your core work. And keep your shoes in good repair. Don’t begrudge the time you put into preparation. Running a marathon is like writing a book. You don’t just go out and do it. Be prepared for any weather conditions and bring all the possible gear you need with you. But also, you will need less than you think. Don’t overdress. If it’s cold, you may only need a hat and gloves. Test all your gear in practice, do a few long runs in all the items. Critical are your bra and socks. Don’t forget sunglasses, credit card, visor, but do not carry water or

anything extra. There is plenty of fluid on the course, don’t weigh yourself down.