Bobbi Gibb: The Woman Who Outran Sexism

In 1966, the organisers of the Boston Marathon refused Bobbi Gibb’s application with a simple explanation: women were not capable of running a marathon.

The organisers were so certain of this that they considered it a risk to allow a woman to enter.

Bobbi Gibb decided the only way to answer them was to run the race herself.

Unable to enter officially, she travelled to the race anyway. Hidden in bushes near the start line, she waited for the runners to pass before slipping into the crowd. She wore her brother’s Bermuda shorts, a sweatshirt and a pair of boys’ running shoes. For the first few miles she kept her hood up, fearing that officials might remove her from the course if they realised she was a woman.

Instead, something unexpected happened.

When the men around her discovered who she was, they did not try to stop her. They encouraged her. Several told her that if anyone attempted to interfere, they would protect her. Reassured, she removed her sweatshirt and continued openly.

Word quickly spread along the route that a woman was running the Boston Marathon.

The reaction was not outrage but excitement. Spectators cheered. Women wept. By the time Gibb reached Wellesley College, students lined the roadside shouting and celebrating. A barrier that many had assumed was permanent was visibly crumbling before their eyes.

She not only completed the 26.2 miles, she finished ahead of roughly two-thirds of the field. The woman who supposedly lacked the physiology to run a marathon had comfortably outperformed most of the men taking part.

Further reading

Wind in the Fire: The Autobiography of Bobbi Gibb by Bobbi Gibb