Bobbi Gibb
Roberta Louise Gibb (born November 2, 1942) is an American former runner who was the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon (1966).
[2] At the Boston Marathon, the pre-sanctioned era comprised the years from 1966 through 1971, when women, who under AAU rules could not compete in the Men's Division, ran and finished the race.
It was not until late 1971, pursuant to a petition to the Amateur Athletic Union by Nina Kuscsik, that the AAU changed its rules and began to sanction women's division marathons.
[14] Wearing her brother's Bermuda shorts and a blue hooded sweatshirt over a black, tanked-top swim suit, she hid in the bushes near the starting pen.
We let out a roar that day, sensing that this woman had done more than just break the gender barrier in a famous race…[16]By the time Gibb reached the finish line in Boston, the Governor of Massachusetts, John Volpe, was there to shake her hand.
The following morning her feat was front-page news in the Record American, where the headline read: "Hub Bride First Gal to Run Marathon.
[20]In an article from the Boston Traveler dated April 20, 1966, the day following the marathon, Cloney is quoted questioning the authenticity of Gibb even participating in the race.
[21] The May 2, 1966, issue of Sports Illustrated featured an article written by Gwilym S. Brown entitled “A Game Girl In A Man's Game”: Last week a tidy-looking and pretty 23-year-old blonde named Roberta Gibb Bingay not only started but also covered the 26-mile, 385-yard course at a clip fast enough to finish ahead of no fewer than 290 of the event's 415 starters.
In 1968, Gibb ran again, finishing in three hours and thirty minutes, first among a growing number of women, which included Carol Ann Pancko, Elaine Pedersen, and Marjorie Fish.
In 2021, a statue of Gibb called “The Girl Who Ran”, depicting her becoming the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon, was unveiled at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts.
degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 1969,[14] fulfilling the pre-medical requirements, with a major in philosophy and a minor in mathematics.
[citation needed] She worked as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State Legislature, studied natural systems, and pursued her interest in sculpture and painting.
"[28][29] Gibb has written a memoir entitled Wind in the Fire: A Personal Journey[30][31] and a book titled 26.2 Essays: An Inspiring New World View.
In 1982 she was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Long Distance Running Hall of Fame,[34] and she has been interviewed for news programs and documentaries on ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and HBO.
Gibb received the 2009 Tufts University Athletics Distinguished Achievement Award[35] and was inducted into The Sports Museum of New England Hall of Fame in 2011.
Her Special Achievement Award was presented by Joan Benoit Samuelson at the Sports Museum's 10th Annual "The Tradition" on June 28, 2011.
Day Neuromuscular Laboratory as an associate working to find the causes of and cures for neurodegenerative diseases, specifically amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
In 1962, while hitchhiking, she met a middle-distance runner coming back from blueberry picking in Maine, a fellow classmate at Tufts named William Bingay, who would later enlist in the United States Navy and become her husband.
