Arlene Pieper

Arlene Pieper (18 March 1930 – 11 February 2021)[2] became the first woman to officially finish a marathon in the United States at 29 years old and as a mother of 3 children[3] when she finished the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in 1959 which includes an 8,000 foor climb to the 14,115 foot summit and a descent back down the same way.

[13] She did the marathon to promote the all-female gym[14] she and her husband owned in Colorado Springs, called Arlene's Health Studio.

[15] In addition to owning this all-female gym, Pieper was known for wearing gold stretch pants and a purple top around town.

[14] Pieper also did not have access to the various resources that runners have today such as gels or gatorade provided at aid stations throughout races.

[17] After spending four years in Colorado, she and her husband returned to California, where she had lived as a teenager and where they had run gyms for exercise guru Harold Zinkin.

[18] Llegan began his search for Pieper in the early 2000s but found it difficult to find her due to her relocations over time as well as her 3 marriages.

[7] Arlene was married to Wallen Pieper, Eddie Garza, and Richard Stine, with all of those marriages ending in divorce.

[7] After Pieper was informed about her accomplishment in 2009, she spent the next decade returning to Manitou Springs for the Pikes Peak marathon and was the official starter for each time she attended.