1971
In the race’s second year, Beth Bonner was the first woman to finish the New York City Marathon. Bonner’s 2:55:22 made her the first American woman to break three hours. Nina Kuscsik was second, and two other women ran and finished.
1972
Published: Nov 05, 2017 2:05 PM EST, and is a frequent a new Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) ruling that women were permitted to run, but only if separately from the men. At Boston that year the rule was met by starting on opposite sides of the road, but New York required them to start 10 minutes ahead. Led by Kuscsik, who won the race, the women then brought legal action against the AAU, and caused the rule to be overthrown.
1976
The first New York City Marathon through the five boroughs was won in dominant style by Japanese-born Michiko (Miki) Gorman from Los Angeles. Her 2:39:11 was then the world’s second fastest, an amazing performance on an experimental course that included many tight corners, a flight of steps, and gratings on the bridges that were dangerous to Gorman’s tiny feet. She completed an unmatched New York-Boston-New York triple in 1977, when she was the last American woman to win New York until 2017. Had there been a women's marathon in the 1976 Olympics, Gorman would have been the strong favorite.
1990
Kim Jones, who had been second in 1989, came within strides of the victory as she almost ran down Poland's Wanda Panfil, only 5 seconds behind the winning 2:30:45. Behind Jones were Olympic bronze medalist Katrin Dörre and nine-time New York champion Grete Waitz.
2017
Shalane Flanagan, intently focused and fiercely inspired, seized the world stage opportunity that seemed always to have eluded her, Running Throughout Time: the Greatest Running Stories Ever Told. She did it finally by defeating a stellar field with the combination that makes every great marathon, hot passion controlled by cold judgment. Only when 50 yards from the finish did she allow the emotion to break through, as she joined the greatest to have won this race in its 47 years.
Roger Robinson is a highly-regarded writer and historian and author of seven books on running. His recent Michiko Miki Gorman Stravas 2024 Yearly Report Is Here Running Times Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Runner’s World contributor, admired for his insightful obituaries. A lifetime elite runner, he represented England and New Zealand at the world level, set age-group marathon records in Boston and New York, and now runs top 80-plus times on two knee replacements. He is Emeritus Professor of English at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and is married to women’s running pioneer Kathrine Switzer.
