Canadian to run first-ever marathon with Kathrine Switzer’s 261 Fearless Team at Boston Marathon

Lauren Hendersen will forever remember her first marathon.

The Torontonian is in Boston this weekend. Not only will she take her first crack at 42.2K at the most prestigious road race in North America, but she will also do it as a part of running legend Kathrine Switzer’s team: 261 Fearless. 

The team assembled by Switzer draws women from around the globe together to participate in the Boston Marathon. It’s a group that has been put together to empower women to run the famous race on the 50th anniversary of Switzer’s iconic run that forever changed the world of running. 

RELATED: Boston Marathon retires most famous bib number

Back in 1967 when women were not permitted to run the course, Switzer signed up anyway. Instead of revealing her gender, she simply entered under the name “K.V. Switzer.” At the time, when race director Jock Semple found out, he tried to remove her from the course. That didn’t fly with Switzer. She finished anyway and became the second woman after Bobbi Gibb to complete the full course. She was the first to do so under an official Boston bib number. That number was, you guessed it: 261. (Hence the team name 261 Fearless).  

Hendersen joins the team as a woman who works with Reebok. The sports apparel company has sent five women to be a part of the team which is officially sponsored by Adidas. 

Today in Boston, the running scene is celebrating women’s achievements in the marathon, in running and in sports as a whole. Kathrine Switzer is one of the most notable pioneers in the history of women’s running this far. To celebrate five decades of women’s participation at the Boston Marathon, she is also going to be the official starter of the women’s elite field. That starts at 9:32 a.m. with the men going at 10:00 a.m. sharp. 

After this year, the Boston Athletic Association has announced that bib 261 will be retired from the marathon.