For 76 years, men were the only athletes permitted to have their “vital statistics” — their race times — recorded in the running of the Boston Marathon. Women were prohibited from running the route because race organizers considered them “physiologically incapable.”
Then came 1972.
“In a move that officials hope will not offend more militant liberationists, a separate but equal category will be established for women competitors,” The New York Times reported.
Nina Kuscsik (33) from Huntington, N.Y. was the first woman to win Boston Marathon. She completed 26.2-miles in 3 hours, 10 minutes, 26 seconds. Seven others joined her in the inaugural women’s competition.
“It’s a great honor,” Kuscsik told The Times after completing the race. “I hope that allowing women to compete officially will encourage others to take running more seriously.”
Later in the fall, she would become the first woman to run the New York City Marathon.
At the time, the inclusion of women was “very much an experiment,” Will Cloney, then the race director, told The Times. Today, 12,171 female racers are part of a field with 28,600 participants.
The addition of women at the Boston Marathon coincided with a wave of women’s rights initiatives. About a month prior to the marathon, Congress passed Title IX. This prohibits sex discrimination in schools. (The Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee equal rights in all areas of American life, was not ratified.
A team of eight women will take part in the 50th anniversary race in memory of the original eight finishers. Among them are Valerie Rogosheske, who ran the race in 1972 and placed in the top 10 of the Boston Marathon three times; Manuela Schär, one of the world’s best wheelchair racers; Sarah Fuller, the first woman to play in a Power 5 college football game; Kristine Lilly, a longtime U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team player; and Verna Volker, an activist who works to increase visibility of Native American runners.
Although women were officially allowed to compete in 1972, this was far from the first race that women had ever run. Roberta Gibb broke the race’s gender barrier in 1966. Gibb covered her body in a large, blue sweatshirt to conceal her gender. She hid behind the forsythia trees near the start line. She completed the course in 3 minutes 21:40.
Source: NY Times
