Kathrine Switzer, women’s running pioneer and sports activist, officially signed with Chastain Film Capital to option the screen rights to her best-selling memoir, Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports.
Susan Schulman of Susan Schulman Literary Agency handled the deal on behalf of Stephany Evans at Pande Literary.
Marathon Woman is an autobiographical narrative that chronicles the life of Switzer, including her iconic 1967 Boston Marathon run through her advocacy work with the International Olympic Committee to include the women’s marathon in the 1984 Olympic Games. Described tonally as a “female Rocky,” Marathon Woman is a real-life, universal story about an underdog overcoming adversity and discrimination through persistence, skill, and strength of character to achieve gender-equality, personal empowerment, and self-discovery.
“This is the first time I’ve ever optioned the rights to my book and I’m delighted to entrust my story with Ed Richardson of Chastain Film Capital,” said Switzer. “We are at a critical moment in women’s history and now, more than ever, it’s imperative that stories of empowerment reach the masses to continue the mission of women’s equality.”
Ed Richardson is the owner of development and production fund Chastain Film Capital. Richardson will produce Marathon Woman via his production company R&R Productions Worldwide and is repped by Andrew Velcoff of the law firm Greenberg Tauring, LLP.
“Kathrine Switzer’s fight in the face of systematic bias began in 1967, and she is fighting for equality as we speak this morning,” said Richardson. “I’ve long been inspired by Kathrine’s infectious energy. She is a force of nature. I’m so proud to help further spread her story to a global audience. The path she has carved is quite simply a call to action to inspire positive change.”
