Women and the Boston Marathon: The Fight for Equality

Women and the Boston Marathon: The Fight for Equality

The Boston Marathon has been a definitive cultural and social event in Boston since 1897. Each year schools across Boston close for Marathon Monday and thousands of people flock to the Finish Line to cheer on friends, family, and even strangers. But for the first 75 years of its existence, the Boston Marathon only celebrated the physical triumphs of half the world: men. Although other marathons began to accept female entrants earlier, Boston held on to its boys-only reputation for longer, with men even physically pulling women out of the race when they tried to enter. The changing experiences of woman pioneers in the late 1960’s fighting for their right to run, the early 1980’s adjusting to their new status, and finally today fully embracing equality tells the story of how Boston grew to embrace female runners.

Kate Buellesbach