Published: Aug 09, 2024 8:38 AM EDT Joan Benoit The first all-womens marathon takes place in Waldniel, West Germany.
It was the first time the games permitted women to run the distance, and Benoit bested an international field with a time of 2:22:43. Since then, women’s marathoning has only grown in popularity, as have the number of exciting and unexpected moments.
“I think we’re just scratching the surface of what women can do,” says Benoit-Samuelson. “There’s a whole pool of talent to tap into today, and the women’s marathoning community is as strong as it’s ever been.”
With plenty to look forward to in the field of women’s marathoning, the 2024 Olympics also affords a nice moment to look back at the 40 most noteworthy moments in women’s marathoning—from notable and groundbreaking moments before those 1984 Games to record smashing runs of today. While we could’t include every professional running moment, here’s a look at many of the runs that stay with us.
1896: The day after the official men’s marathon in Athens, Greece, Stamata Revithi of Greece unofficially runs on the same course, finishing in about five-and-a-half hours. Joan Benoit sets a womens Boston Marathon record in 2:22:43.
1918: Frenchwoman Marie-Louise Ledru runs the 40K “Tour de Paris” marathon, the only female in a field of 78 participants.
1926: The International Association of Athletics Federations recognizes the first woman to run a marathon as English woman Violet Piercy, running a 3:40:22, although questions remain How to Break 4 Hours in the Marathon.
1959: Arlene Pieper becomes the first woman to finish a sanctioned marathon in the United States, clocking 9:16 at the grueling Pikes Peak Marathon. She didn’t learn of this distinction until 2009.
1963: American Merry Lepper runs a 3:37:07 at the Western Hemisphere Marathon in California, setting an unofficial world record. She never completed another.
1966: Bobbi Gibb Races & Places.
1967: Kathrine Switzer becomes the first woman to run as an officially registered competitor in the Boston Marathon. She was registered as K.V. Switzer, finishing in approximately four hours and 20 minutes.
1971: Australian Adrienne Beames becomes the first woman to run a sub-3 in Werribee, Victoria, running a time of 2:46:30, beating the women’s best of 3:01:42. Controversy surrounded Beames’s time, however, as many questioned the distance of the course. Six years later, however, she again clocked a 2:46, this time in Phoenix.
1972: For the first time, women can officially run the Boston Marathon, where Nina Kuscsik becomes the first official women’s winner.
1972: The New York City Marathon allows six women—Lynn Blackstone, Jane Muhrcke, Liz Franceschini, Pat Barrett, Nina Kuscsik, and Cathy Miller—to run the race, under the condition they begin 10 minutes ahead of the men. They sit down in protest.
1973: The first all-women’s marathon takes place in Waldniel, West Germany.
1975: Marilyn Bevans wins the Washington Birthday Marathon in Maryland, becoming the first Black American woman to win a marathon.
1975: Bevans places fourth at the 1975 Boston Marathon, becoming America’s first Black American woman marathoner to break the three-hour barrier with a time of 2:55:52.
1979: Grete Waitz of Norway becomes the first woman to run a sub-2:30, with a win at the New York City Marathon in a time of 2:27:33 to set a new world record.
1980: Patti Catalano becomes the first American to break 2:30 in the marathon at the New York City Marathon. She’s also Mi’gmaq, making her the first Native American woman to achieve that mark.
1980: Toshiko d’Elia becomes the first woman over the age of 50 to run sub-3 hours at the World Veteran’s Marathon Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
1983: Joan Benoit sets a women’s Boston Marathon record in 2:22:43.
1984: The first women’s Olympic Marathon trials in Olympia, Washington. Joan Benoit, Julie Brown, and Julie Isphording make the team.
1984: Joan Benoit makes Olympic history, becoming the first woman to win gold in the Games first women’s marathon.
1984: Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway sets the world record at the London Marathon in a time of 2:21:06, a mark that stands for 13 years.
1992: Ella Willis becomes the first Black American woman to finish the Olympic Marathon Trials in Columbus, Ohio.
1994: Kenyan Tegla Loroupe became the first Black African woman to win a major marathon, taking the New York City Marathon title in 2:27, the beginning of a long streak of wins and records to her name.
2000: Amateur Alaskan Chris Clark shocks the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, making the team after training exclusively on a treadmill.
2003: British runner Paula Radcliffe sets the women’s marathon record at the London Marathon with a time of 2:15:25. The record stands for 16 years.
2004: Deena Kastor wins bronze at the Athens Olympics, becoming the second American woman to medal at the Games—20 years after Joan Benoit.
2012: American training partners Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher finish 9th and 10th at the London Olympic Games, ushering in a new era of depth for American women’s marathoning.
2012: Wheelchair athlete Tatyana McFadden wins her first gold medal at the London Marathon, kicking off a storied and unparalleled career in the sport. She has 24 World Marathon major wins to her name, plus 20 Paralympics medals and several World Championship medals at a variety of distances including the marathon.
2017: Shalane Flanagan ends a 40-year drought for American women when she wins the New York City Marathon in 2:26:23.
2018: Des Linden wins the Boston Marathon, becoming the first American woman in 33 years to cross the finish line at the front.
2019: Brigid Kosgei of Kenya breaks Radcliffe’s long-standing world record with a time of 2:14:04 at the Chicago Marathon.
2019: Ingrid Walters wins the open division at the Los Angeles Marathon at the age of 47 with a time of 2:48:03, joining the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame.
2020: The Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta hit a record number of 450 participants, representing the giant strides the sport has made. Aliphine Tuliamuk came out on top, becoming the first Black American woman to win the Trials.
2020: Molly Seidel wins bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the third American woman to medal at the Games.
2022: At age 92, Mathea Allansmith breaks the world record for the oldest women’s marathon in 11:19:49 at the Honolulu Marathon,
2022: Keira D’Amato sets the American marathon record at the Houston Marathon with a 2:19:12, only to be bested by Emily Sisson, who runs 2:18:29 at the Chicago Marathon.
2023: Erika Kemp becomes the fastest Black American female marathoner in history with a 2:33:57 at the Boston Marathon.
2023: Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner breaks the women’s world record in the wheelchair division with a 1:34:16, followed by three others who also raced below previous record time.
2023: Demonstrating the rapid advancement of modern women’s marathoning, Ethiopian Tigst Assefa runs a 2:11:53 at the Berlin Marathon, while Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands goes 2:13:44 at Chicago.
2024: The U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon becomes the most diverse to date, with 12 percent of the field women of color.
2024: Kenyan Hellen Obiri wins the Boston Marathon in 2:22:37, becoming the first back-to-back women’s winner in nearly two decades.
We don’t yet know how the women’s marathon in Paris will shake out, but one thing is certain: Thanks to the pioneers that came before them, today’s marathoners have a solid foundation and support that allows them to keep pushing the envelope.
“The camaraderie that continues through the generations transcends elite marathoning,” says Benoit-Samuelson. “I’m excited about the team we’re sending to Paris, and Emily (Sisson) will be a wonderful, experienced resource for Fiona (O’Keefe) and Dakota (Lindwurm).”
