When Bobbi Gibb applied to run the Boston Marathon in 1966, she was denied entry with the comment, "Women are not physiologically capable of running and enduring a marathon, and we cannot be held responsible for that."
So, nearly 60 years ago, on the day of the marathon, Bobbi Gibb hid in the bushes, waiting for the race to start. When half the runners had passed, she broke into a run. She was wearing her brother's athletic shorts, a pair of men's sneakers, a bathing suit, and a sweatshirt. After a while, Gibb began to sweat, but she didn't take off her sweatshirt. "I knew if they saw me, they would try to stop me," she said. She even thought they might arrest her.
But it didn't take long for the other runners to figure out that she was a woman. Gibb thought they would push her off the road or call the police, but instead they were supportive and told her they would do everything they could to ensure she could run undisturbed.
Feeling safe, Gibb took off her sweatshirt. As soon as it became clear that there was a woman running the marathon, the crowd reacted, not with anger but with pure joy. Men applauded. Women cried. By the end of the race, the news had spread everywhere and the female students at the university where the race had been held were waiting to greet her, screaming with emotion.
The governor of Massachusetts was also there to meet her at the finish line and shake her hand. The first woman to run a marathon had finished with a medal around her neck!
Bobbi Gibb remains a legend in women's competitive sports to this day
When Bobbi Gibb applied to run the Boston Marathon in 1966, she was denied entry with the comment, "Women are not physiologically capable of running and enduring a marathon, and we cannot be held responsible for that."
So, nearly 60 years ago, on the day of the marathon, Bobbi Gibb hid in the bushes, waiting for the race to start. When half the runners had passed, she broke into a run. She was wearing her brother's athletic shorts, a pair of men's sneakers, a bathing suit, and a sweatshirt. After a while, Gibb began to sweat, but she didn't take off her sweatshirt. "I knew if they saw me, they would try to stop me," she said. She even thought they might arrest her.
But it didn't take long for the other runners to figure out that she was a woman. Gibb thought they would push her off the road or call the police, but instead they were supportive and told her they would do everything they could to ensure she could run undisturbed.
Feeling safe, Gibb took off her sweatshirt. As soon as it became clear that there was a woman running the marathon, the crowd reacted, not with anger but with pure joy. Men applauded. Women cried. By the end of the race, the news had spread everywhere and the female students at the university where the race had been held were waiting to greet her, screaming with emotion.
The governor of Massachusetts was also there to meet her at the finish line and shake her hand. The first woman to run a marathon had finished with a medal around her neck!
Bobbi Gibb remains a legend in women's competitive sports to this day