A Short History of Women’s Running

March is Women’s history month and in honor of that, here is a very short list of some significant events in the history of women’s running. For more complete lists of achievements please visit the links below.

1928 - Women first allowed to compete in Olympic Track & Field events. Reports of fainting after the 800 meter final cause the event to be dropped until 1960.

1936 - Two women enter the 13-mile uphill Pike’s Peak race.

1959 - Arlene Pieper runs the full 26-mile Pike’s Peak up-and-down course in 9:16.

1966 - Roberta Gibb “unofficially” runs the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:21:40.

1967 - Kathrine Switzer runs the Boston Marathon with an “official” number.

1970 - The Road Runners Club of America holds first championship marathon for women (won by Sara Mae Berman in 3:07:10).

1971 - Adrienne Beames becomes the first woman to run a marathon in under 3 hours with a time of 2:46:30.

1971 - Boston & New York City marathons officially open for women.

1972 - U.S. Congress passes Title IX prohibiting gender based discrimination in federally funded programs.

1977 - Lisa Lindahl and Hinda Miller create world’s first sports bra created by combining two male athletic supporters and a bit of thread
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1065977,00.html

1984 - Women’s marathon added to Olympic Games and won by American Joan Benoit Samuelson in 2:24:52.

2003 - Pam Reed draws attention to women in ultra running by becoming the overall winner in the 135-mile Badwater Ultra Marathon.

For More Info

Interested in more history about women’s running? Try these sources for starters:

• “Desert Diva: Pam Reed’s Run into the Record Books,” Running Times, December 2003.
• Women Walkers & Runners: A Timeline, from Run the Planet.
• “History of Women’s Distance Running,” from Run Like a Girl.