Jock Semple

Jock Semple
Born
John Duncan Semple

(1903-10-26)October 26, 1903
Glasgow, Scotland
DiedMarch 10, 1988(1988-03-10) (aged 84)
Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationAthletic therapist / trainer
Known for1967 Boston Marathon incident

John Duncan Semple (October 26, 1903 – March 10, 1988) was a Scottish-American runner, physical therapist, trainer, and sports official. In 1967, as a race official for the Boston Marathon, he attempted to stop the 20-year-old marathon runner Kathrine Switzer from continuing to run and knocked down her coach when he tried to protect her. Switzer was officially entered in the race in accordance with the Boston Marathon's rule book, which at that time made no mention of sex.[1][better source needed] Semple subsequently claimed that amateur rules banned women racing for more than 1.5 miles (2.4 km).[2] He subsequently oversaw implementation of qualifying times in 1970 and, in response to lobbying and rule changes by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the implementation of a separate women's race in 1972.[3]

  1. ^ Switzer, Kathrine (April 4, 2017). Marathon Woman (4th ed.). Da Capo Press Inc. ISBN 978-0306825651. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020. We checked the rule book and entry form; there was nothing about gender in the marathon. I filled in my AAU number, plunked down $3 cash as entry fee, signed as I always sign my name, 'K.V. Switzer,' and went to the university infirmary to get a fitness certificate.
  2. ^ Myron Cope (April 22, 1968). "Angry Overseer Of The Marathon". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 5, 2012. In among the serious runners, fast and not so fast, are the characters: [...]; and, of course, women, who trot along as unofficial entrants, denied numbers for their chests. All of these poseurs, few of whom come close to finishing the race, send a shudder up the spine of John Duncan Semple, the irascible 64-year-old Scot who is Mr. Boston Marathon himself.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).