You probably know the story. Kathy Switzer, who registered as “K. V. Switzer,” broke the gender barrier by running in the 1967 Boston Marathon. A couple of miles after the start, a livid race official shouted some unpleasantries at her and tried to rip the race number from her clothing. But Switzer's boyfriend, football player Tom Miller, sent that ass sprawling with a deft body-block.
When I first saw these famous photos as a kid, I probably absorbed a bit of the equal rights message. But what really impressed me was Mr. Miller's fast-thinking action. At last, here was real-world guidance on just what it was boyfriends were supposed to do.
Well done, Mr. Miller. Well done.
Features writer Paul Turner is a columnist for The Spokesman-Review in the Features department. He writes "The Slice" column, which appears six times a week and produces general features stories for the Today section.
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