137-416: The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts , United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day , the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics . The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of
274-761: A separate but equal course. By 1974 women were becoming more vocal about their restrictions. Prior to 1936, ice hockey in North America was governed by the AAU and the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada . After the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) split ways with its national union, the AAU terminated its working agreement with the CAHA which had allowed for transferring of players and exhibition games between
411-659: A 40- to 44-year-old male will no longer qualify with a time of 3:10:01. For many marathoners, to qualify for Boston (to "BQ") is a goal and achievement in itself. An exception to the qualification times is for runners who receive entries from partners. About one-fifth of the marathon's spots are reserved each year for charities, sponsors, vendors, licensees, consultants, municipal officials, local running clubs, and marketers. In 2010, about 5,470 additional runners received entries through partners, including 2,515 charity runners. The marathon currently allocates spots to two dozen charities who in turn are expected to raise more than $ 10 million
548-633: A Game premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . LeBron James founded SpringHill Entertainment in 2007 to produce the award-winning documentary, which chronicles his high school basketball career. The 2011 documentary Empty Hand: The Real Karate Kids , written and directed by Kevin Derek, chronicles four young karate competitors compete en route to the annual AAU Karate Championship national tournament. A 2013 AAU youth basketball documentary Little Ballers ,
685-566: A child and was later murdered in an unrelated incident. Budhia is now at a state-run sports academy. The youngest under 4 hours is Mary Etta Boitano at age 7 years, 284 days; under 3 hours Julie Mullin at 10 years 180 days; and under 2:50 Carrie Garritson at 11 years 116 days. In 2016, Running USA estimated that there were approximately 507,600 marathon finishers in the United States, while other sources reported greater than 550,000 finishers. The chart below from Running USA provides
822-542: A distance of over 240 kilometres (150 mi) each way. In some Herodotus manuscripts, the name of the runner between Athens and Sparta is given as Philippides. Herodotus makes no mention of a messenger sent from Marathon to Athens and relates that the main part of the Athenian army, having fought and won the grueling battle and fearing a naval raid by the Persian fleet against an undefended Athens, marched quickly back from
959-616: A lap (586 yards 2 feet; 536 m) of the track, finishing in front of the Royal Box. The course was later altered to use a different entrance to the stadium, followed by a partial lap of 385 yards to the same finish. The modern 42.195 km (26.219 mi) standard distance for the marathon was set by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in May 1921 directly from the length used at
1096-435: A marathon in each state of the United States plus Washington, D.C., and some have done it as many as eight times. Beverly Paquin, a 22-year-old nurse from Iowa, was the youngest woman to run a marathon in all 50 states in 2010. A few weeks later, still in 2010, Morgan Cummings (also 22) became the youngest woman to complete a marathon in all 50 states and DC. In 2004, Chuck Bryant of Miami, Florida, who lost his right leg below
1233-602: A marathon in the United States when she completed the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in 1959. Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon "officially" (with a number), in 1967. However, Switzer's entry, which was accepted through an "oversight" in the screening process, was in "flagrant violation of the rules", and she was treated as an interloper once
1370-496: A marathon with her 9 hours 53 minutes performance at the 2010 Honolulu Marathon . The records of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians , at that time, however, suggested that Singh was overall the oldest marathoner, completing the 2004 London Marathon at the age of 93 years and 17 days, and that Burrill was the oldest female marathoner, completing the 2010 Honolulu Marathon at the age of 92 years and 19 days. Singh's age
1507-400: A member of the 100 Marathon Club, set the world record for running 500 marathons in the fastest average finish time of 3 hours 15 minutes, at the same time becoming the first man to run 500 marathons with an official time below 3 hours 30 minutes, on 11 November 2012 at Milton Keynes, England. The records took 24 years to achieve. Edwards was 49 at the time. Over 350 individuals have completed
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#17327655408221644-670: A pioneer in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, and sportsmanship, the AAU Sullivan Award goes beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character as well. Golfer Bobby Jones was the first recipient of the AAU Sullivan Award in 1930, beating out other finalists Barney Berling (athletics), Clarence De Mar (athletics), Tommy Hitchcock (polo), Helen Madison (swimming), Helen Wills Moody (tennis), Harlon Rothert (all-around), Ray Rudy (swimming), George Simpson (athletics) and Stella Walsh (athletics) to take home
1781-550: A record as the world's largest marathon with 38,708 entrants, 36,748 starters, and 35,868 finishers. All Editions Results The Boston Marathon was first run in April 1897, having been inspired by the revival of the marathon for the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Until 2020 it was the oldest continuously running marathon, and the second longest continuously running footrace in North America, having debuted five months after
1918-436: A record-setting eight hours and three minutes. The speed of registration prompted the B.A.A. to change its qualifying standards for the 2013 marathon onward. In addition to lowering qualifying times, the change includes a rolling application process, which gives faster runners priority. Organizers decided not to significantly adjust the number of non-qualifiers. On September 27, 2018, the B.A.A. announced that they were lowering
2055-578: A result of Switzer's completion of the race as the first officially registered woman runner, the AAU changed its rules to ban women from competing in races against men. Switzer finished the race despite race official Jock Semple repeatedly assaulting her in an attempt to rip off her race numbers and eject her from the race. Nina Kuscsik was instrumental in influencing the Amateur Athletic Union , in late 1971, to increase its maximum distance for sanctioned women's races, leading to official participation by women in marathons, beginning at Boston in 1972. Kuscsik
2192-543: A runner must first complete a standard marathon course certified by a national governing body affiliated with the World Athletics within a certain period of time before the date of the desired Boston Marathon (usually within approximately 18 months prior). In the 1980s and 1990s, membership in USA Track & Field was required of all runners, but this requirement has been eliminated. Qualifying standards for
2329-500: A second group starting at 12:30. The next year the starting times for the race were moved up, allowing runners to take advantage of cooler temperatures and enabling the roads to be reopened earlier. The marathon later added third and fourth waves to help further stagger the runners and reduce congestion. The starting times for 2019 were: The course runs through 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km) of winding roads, following Route 135 , Route 16 , Route 30 and city streets into
2466-599: A separate group within the AAU organization. Masters Track and Field is now part of USA Track & Field (USATF). The live action short film The Winning Strain was filmed at the 1966 AAU Track and Field championships in New York City and was nominated for an Oscar in 1967 . 1999 HBO documentary Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports won the Peabody Award . In September 2008, More than
2603-567: A set of qualifying times has been developed for these divisions to motivate aspiring athletes and ensure competitive excellence. In 1986, the introduction of prize money at the Boston Marathon gave the push rim wheelchair division the richest prize purse in the sport. More than 1,000 people with disabilities and impairments have participated in the wheelchair division, while the other divisions have gained popularity each year. In 2013, 40 blind runners participated. The nonbinary division of
2740-478: A time of 2:55 (two hours, 55 minutes) for males, and 3:25 (3 hours, 25 minutes) for female and non-binary runners to qualify for the 2026 race. The race has traditionally been held on Patriots' Day , a state holiday in Massachusetts, and until 1969 that was every April 19, whichever day of the week that fell on. From 1969 to 2019, the holiday was observed on the third Monday in April and so the marathon date
2877-420: A very steep climb over the first 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). When the modern Olympics began in 1896 , the initiators and organizers were looking for a great popularizing event, recalling the glory of ancient Greece . The idea of a marathon race came from Michel Bréal , who wanted the event to feature in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. This idea was heavily supported by Pierre de Coubertin ,
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#17327655408223014-488: A walking pace. Heartbreak Hill is an ascent over 0.4 miles (600 m) between the 20- and 21-mile (32- and 34-km) marks, near Boston College . It is the last of four " Newton hills", which begin at the 16-mile (26 km) mark and challenge contestants with late (if modest) climbs after the course's general downhill trend to that point. Though Heartbreak Hill itself rises only 88 feet (27 m) vertically (from an elevation of 148 to 236 feet (45 to 72 m)), it comes in
3151-413: A woman to participate, her results would not be counted in the official race results. In 1970, the first New York City Marathon ignored the AAU rules and allowed women in the event even if it meant that their scores would not be official. For the second New York City Marathon in 1971 the AAU allowed women to participate if they started the race 10 minutes before, or 10 minutes after the men, or if they ran
3288-399: A year. In 2017, charity runners raised $ 34.2 million for more than 200 non-profit organizations. The Boston Athletic Association's Official Charity Program raised $ 17.96 million, John Hancock's Non-Profit Program raised $ 12.3 million, and the last $ 3.97 million was raised by other qualified and invitational runners. On October 18, 2010, the 20,000 spots reserved for qualifiers were filled in
3425-434: Is a non-profit, organized sports association that organizes the Boston Marathon and other events. In 1975, the Boston Marathon became the first major marathon to include a wheelchair division competition . Bob Hall wrote race director Will Cloney to ask if he could compete in the race in his wheelchair. Cloney wrote back that he could not give Hall a race number, but would recognize Hall as an official finisher if he completed
3562-521: Is an amateur sports organization based in the United States . A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has more than 900,000 members nationwide, including more than 100,000 volunteers. The philosophy of the AAU is "Sports for All, Forever." The AAU was founded on January 21, 1888, by James E. Sullivan and William Buckingham Curtis with
3699-463: Is followed by the modern Marathon-Athens highway ( EO83 – EO54 ), which follows the lay of the land southwards from Marathon Bay and along the coast, then takes a gentle but protracted climb westwards towards the eastern approach to Athens, between the foothills of Mounts Hymettus and Penteli , and then gently downhill to Athens proper. As it existed when the Olympics were revived in 1896, this route
3836-463: Is intended to provide a focal point for all runners, particularly from the United Kingdom or Ireland, who have completed 100 or more races of marathon distance or longer. At least 10 of these events must be United Kingdom or Ireland Road Marathons. Club chairman Roger Biggs has run more than 700 marathons or ultras. Brian Mills completed his 800th marathon on 17 September 2011. Steve Edwards,
3973-634: Is set for debut in 2015 in cooperation with the Canadian Independent Hockey Federation (CIHF). The AAU James E. Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the best collegiate or Olympic-level athlete in the United States – making this award older than the Heisman Trophy (1935). The AAU Sullivan Award is a salute to founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and
4110-429: Is the oldest to complete a marathon in under 3 hours at age 74, and under 4 hours at age 85. Budhia Singh , a boy from Odisha , India, completed his first marathon at age five. He trained under the coach Biranchi Das, who saw potential in him. In May 2006, Budhia was temporarily banned from running by the ministers of child welfare, as his life could be at risk. His coach was also arrested for exploiting and cruelty to
4247-815: Is the only marathon where participants run over two continents (Europe and Asia) during a single event. In the Detroit Free Press Marathon , participants cross the US/Canada border twice. The Niagara Falls International Marathon includes one international border crossing, via the Peace Bridge from Buffalo , New York, United States to Fort Erie , Ontario, Canada. In the Three Countries Marathon [ de ] , participants run through Germany, Switzerland and Austria. On 20 March 2018, an indoor Marathon occurred in
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4384-666: Is the world's oldest annual marathon, inspired by the success of the 1896 Olympic marathon and held every year since 1897 to celebrate Patriots' Day , a holiday marking the beginning of the American Revolution , thereby purposely linking Athenian and American struggle for democracy. The oldest annual marathon in Europe is the Košice Peace Marathon , held since 1924 in Košice , Slovakia. The historic Polytechnic Marathon
4521-577: The Boston Herald , race director Dave McGillivray said he was sending paperwork to the IAAF in an attempt to have Mutai's mark ratified as a world record. Although this was not successful, the AP indicated that the attempt to have the mark certified as a world record "would force the governing bodies to reject an unprecedented performance on the world's most prestigious marathon course". On April 15, 2013,
4658-474: The 1908 Summer Olympics in London. An official IAAF marathon course is 42.195 km (42 m tolerance only in excess). Course officials add a short course prevention factor of up to one meter per kilometer to their measurements to reduce the risk of a measuring error producing a length below the minimum distance. For events governed by IAAF rules, the route must be marked so that all competitors can see
4795-515: The 2024 Summer Olympics by Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia. The Olympic women's record is 2:23:07, set at the 2012 Summer Olympics by Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia. Per capita, the Kalenjin ethnic group of Rift Valley Province in Kenya has produced a highly disproportionate share of marathon and track-and-field winners. The Boston Marathon began on 19 April 1897 and was inspired by the success of
4932-573: The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 broke up the AAU's responsibility as the national Olympic sports governing body , the AAU focused on providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the local and regional levels. The AAU is divided into 55 distinct district associations, which annually sanction 45 sports programs, 250 national championships, and over 30,000 age division events. The AAU events have over 900,000 participants and over 100,000 volunteers. Starting in 1914,
5069-442: The Boston Marathon was still in progress at 2:49 p.m. EDT (nearly three hours after the winner crossed the finish line), when two homemade bombs were set off about 200 yards (180 m) apart on Boylston Street, in approximately the last 225 yards (200 m) of the course. The race was halted, preventing many from finishing. Three spectators were killed and an estimated 264 were injured. Entrants who completed at least half
5206-500: The Buffalo Turkey Trot . On April 19, 1897, ten years after the establishment of the B.A.A., the association held the 24.5 miles (39.4 km) marathon to conclude its athletic competition, the B.A.A. Games. The winner of the inaugural edition was John J. "JJ" McDermott , who ran the 24.5 mile course in 2:55:10, leading a field of 15. The event was scheduled for the recently established holiday of Patriots' Day , with
5343-790: The International Ice Hockey Association , which merged into the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace to become the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1947. With the merger, the IIHF chose to recognize the AHAUS as the governing body of hockey in the United States, instead of the AAU. Despite the decision by the IIHF, the AAU sent its own team to compete in ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics . The AAU
5480-908: The North Pole , in Antarctica , and over desert terrain. Other unusual marathons include the Great Wall Marathon on The Great Wall of China , the Big Five Marathon among the safari wildlife of South Africa, the Great Tibetan Marathon – a marathon in an atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism at an altitude of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft), and the Polar Circle Marathon on the permanent ice cap of Greenland . A few marathons cross international and geographical borders. The Istanbul Marathon
5617-615: The Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games . The AAU conducted its first event, championships for boxing, fencing, and wrestling, on April 6, 1888, at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House . The open USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were organized by the AAU between 1888 and 1978. In 1923 the AAU sponsored the First American Track & Field championships for women . In 1897,
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5754-636: The World Marathon Majors series, awarding $ 500,000 annually to the best overall male and female performers in the series. In 2006, the editors of Runner's World selected a "World's Top 10 Marathons", in which the Amsterdam , Honolulu , Paris , Rotterdam , and Stockholm marathons were featured along with the five original World Marathon Majors events (excluding Tokyo). Other notable large marathons include United States Marine Corps Marathon , Los Angeles , and Rome . The Boston Marathon
5891-567: The holiday season including the Empire City Marathon held on New Year's Day 1909 in Yonkers , New York, marked the early running craze referred to as "marathon mania". Following the 1908 Olympics, the first five amateur marathons in New York City were held on days that held special meanings: Thanksgiving Day , the day after Christmas, New Year's Day, Washington's Birthday , and Lincoln's Birthday . Frank Shorter 's victory in
6028-512: The marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics would spur national enthusiasm for the sport more intensely than that which followed Hayes' win 64 years earlier. In 2014, an estimated 550,600 runners completed a marathon within the United States. This can be compared to 143,000 in 1980. Today, marathons are held all around the world on a nearly weekly basis. For a long time after the Olympic marathon started, there were no long-distance races, such as
6165-412: The 1967 Boston Marathon. Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb's attempt to register for the 1966 race was refused by race director Will Cloney in a letter in which he claimed women were physiologically incapable of running 26 miles. Gibb nevertheless ran unregistered and finished the 1966 race in three hours, twenty-one minutes and forty seconds, ahead of two-thirds of the runners. Much later, she would be recognized by
6302-486: The 1970s, the AAU received growing criticism. Many claimed that its regulatory framework was outdated. Women were banned from participating in certain competitions and some runners were locked out. The sporting goods industry also criticized the AAU for stifling innovation by forcing outdated or overreaching standards on their goods and game equipment. During this time, the Olympic Sports Act of 1978 organized
6439-435: The 2013 race were tightened on February 15, 2011, by five minutes in each age-gender group for marathons run after September 23, 2011. Prospective runners in the age range of 18–34 must run a time of no more than 3:00:00 (3 hours) if male, or 3:30:00 (3 hours 30 minutes) if female; the qualifying time is adjusted upward as age increases. In addition, the 59-second grace period on qualifying times has been eliminated; for example,
6576-438: The 2023–2024 season, AAU College Hockey includes Men's Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3, and a Women's Division, aiming to offer the best collegiate hockey experience while prioritizing the needs of its member conferences, programs, student-athletes, and staff. AAU Hockey sponsors national tournaments for minor hockey levels. A North American Championship for Squirt/Atom and PeeWee levels as well as Midget and Bantam levels
6713-678: The AAU Board of Directors and presented to under-served New York City area youth. Other AAU Cares events were held in conjunction with the AAU Girls' Junior National Volleyball Championships in 2016 and 2017 respectively where the AAU teamed up with Feeding Children Everywhere to pack a total of 120,000 meals in total for hungry children. Currently in conjunction with the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships are Dig Pink® initiatives benefitting
6850-582: The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships was held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (now ESPN Wide World of Sports) for the first time. It was the first volleyball event to be played in the Fieldhouse at the complex, with a total of 127 teams attending. In 2012, the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships was named the largest volleyball tournament in the world by Guinness World Records. The event
6987-590: The AAU Youth Sports Program. As the popularity of the AAU Youth Sports Program increased, the AAU leaders decided to conduct two national championships simultaneously. The idea came to fruition when Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey proclaimed the first AAU Junior Olympic Games open on August 21, 1967 in downtown Washington, D.C., at the Departmental Auditorium on Constitution Avenue. Five hundred twenty-three athletes competed in
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#17327655408227124-534: The AAU held its first national men's basketball championship . The winner was the 23rd Street YMCA from New York City. The first AAU women's basketball tournament was held in April 1926 at the Los Angeles Athletics Club. The Pasadena Athletic & Country Club Flying Rings were crowned the champions. In the 1960s and 1970s, the NCAA engaged in a bitter power struggle with the AAU. After
7261-632: The Amateur Athletic Union barred women athletes from competing in events that it sponsored. In 1914 they changed their rules and allowed women to compete in a limited number of swimming events. Just two years later in 1916, AAU was considering discontinuing their experiment in allowing women at swimming events. In 1922, the Metropolitan AAU in New York City approved a larger program of sanctioned events for women but still barred them from running events over one-half mile because they were considered too strenuous. The reason given for barring women
7398-483: The Armory in New York City. The 200 m track saw a world record in the women's and men's field. Lindsey Scherf (USA) set the indoor women's world record with 2:40:55. Malcolm Richards (USA) won in 2:19:01 with a male indoor world record. Many marathons feature a wheelchair division. Typically, those in the wheelchair racing division start their races earlier than their running counterparts. The first wheelchair marathon
7535-473: The Boston Marathon was first included in 2023; it was won by Kae Ravichandran with a time of 2:38:57. The Boston Marathon Memorial in Copley Square, which is near the finish line, was installed to mark the one-hundredth running of the race. A circle of granite blocks set in the ground surrounds a central medallion that traces the race course and other segments that show an elevation map of the course and
7672-464: The Boston Marathon. Bobbi Gibb , the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon (1966), was the grand marshal of the race. The Women's Open division winner, Atsede Baysa , gave Gibb her trophy; Gibb said that she would go to Baysa's native Ethiopia in 2017 and return it to her. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the 2020 Boston Marathon was initially rescheduled from April 20 to September 14. It
7809-522: The Boston Marathon. He stated: "While American soldiers are fighting and dying in Korea, every Korean should be fighting to protect his country instead of training for marathons. As long as the war continues there, we positively will not accept Korean entries for our race on April 19." The Boston Marathon rule book made no mention of gender until after the 1967 race. Nor did the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) exclude women from races that included men until after
7946-643: The Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Award by Sports Destination Management, Best Single Amateur Sporting Event by Sports Travel Awards, and Best Sporting Event by Connect Sports. The AAU Cares program was established in 2016 as the AAU's way of giving back to the community. The first event was held in conjunction with the 86th AAU James E. Sullivan Award. With the assistance of New York State Senator Kevin Parker, bicycles were assembled by
8083-590: The French philologist Michel Bréal inspired by a story from Ancient Greece , the marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896 in Athens . The distance did not become standardized until 1921. The distance is also included in the World Athletics Championships , which began in 1983. It is the only running road race included in both championship competitions (walking races on
8220-592: The Glory of Athens in the first century AD, which quoted from Heraclides Ponticus 's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles. This was the account adopted by Benjamin Haydon for his painting [REDACTED] Eucles Announcing the Victory of Marathon , published as an engraving in 1836 with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon . Satirist Lucian of Samosata gave one of
8357-464: The IAAF, now known as World Athletics , until 1 January 2004; previously, the best times for the marathon were referred to as the 'world best'. Courses must conform to World Athletics standards for a record to be recognized. However, marathon routes still vary greatly in elevation, course, and surface, making exact comparisons impossible. Typically, the fastest times are set over relatively flat courses near sea level, during good weather conditions and with
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#17327655408228494-548: The New York City Marathon and New York Road Runners club had to allow wheelchair athletes to compete, and confirmed this at appeal in 1980, but the New York Supreme Court ruled in 1981 that a ban on wheelchair racers was not discriminatory as the marathon was historically a foot race. However, by 1986, 14 wheelchair athletes were competing, and an official wheelchair division was added to
8631-817: The Official Rules of the AAU. The AAU formerly worked closely with what is now today the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee to prepare U.S. athletes for both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, helping in the qualification of athletes to form the national team. As part of this, the AAU Junior Olympic Games were introduced in 1949, with athletes aged 8 to 16 years, or older in certain sports, being able to participate. Many future World and Olympic champions have appeared in these events, which are still held every year. In
8768-533: The Side-Out Foundation. The AAU Urban Initiative was created in 2015 to provide a holistic approach to athletics. It provides participation opportunities to areas that were historically under served. The initiative partners the AAU with local government, law enforcement, faith-based groups, business communities, educational institutions and other groups who work to bring communities together through sports in service to America's youth. Through mentoring,
8905-593: The assistance of pacesetters . The current world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours and 35 seconds, set in the Chicago Marathon by the late Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya on 8 October 2023. The world record for women was set by Ruth Chepng'etich of Kenya in the Chicago Marathon on 13 October 2024, in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds. This broke Tigst Assefa's previous world record of 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds by almost two minutes, and
9042-408: The athletes had been mounting for years to find an answer. Track and Field News discussed the subject with its cover article "Take the Money and Run" in November 1971. AAU got its start in New York City. But in 1957, the search began for a permanent national office site rather than renting office space in NYC. In 1970, the AAU officially moved its national headquarters to Indianapolis, serving as
9179-434: The battle to Athens, arriving the same day. In 1879, Robert Browning wrote the poem Pheidippides . Browning's poem, his composite story, became part of late 19th-century popular culture and was accepted as a historical legend. Mount Pentelicus stands between Marathon and Athens, which means that Philippides would have had to run around the mountain, either to the north or to the south. The latter and more obvious route
9316-512: The catalyst which eventually bills the city as the “Amateur Sports Capital” of the United States. In 1994, the AAU joined forces with the Walt Disney World Resort, signing a 30-year agreement. As part of that agreement, many of AAU's national championships in many sports are played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. In 1996, the AAU relocated its national headquarters to Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista , Florida . More than 40 AAU national events are conducted at
9453-462: The center of Boston, where the official finish line is located at Copley Square , alongside the Boston Public Library . The race runs through eight Massachusetts cities and towns: Hopkinton , Ashland , Framingham , Natick , Wellesley , Newton , Brookline , and Boston. The Boston Marathon is considered to be one of the more difficult marathon courses because of the Newton hills, which culminate in Heartbreak Hill near Boston College . While
9590-850: The complex. The AAU headquarters is located within the former Walt Disney World Preview Center. Programs offered by the AAU include: AAU Sports Program, AAU Junior Olympic Games , AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award and the AAU Complete Athlete Program. The AAU has 33 national committees to organize its activities in particular sports. AAU operates under a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status granted in 1996. The Amateur Athletic Union offers participants sport programming in individual and team sports in their local community that they can join and compete with other athletes their own age. There are teams in most sports ranging from 9U to 18U, allowing youth athletes to play for championships in sports against other athletes similar in age and athletic development. The AAU offers sport programming for individuals and teams in
9727-402: The course and did not finish due to the bombing were given automatic entry in 2014. In 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , one of the perpetrators of the bombing, was found guilty of 30 federal offenses in connection with the attack and was sentenced to death . His older brother Tamerlan died after a gunfight with police and after Dzhokhar ran him over with a stolen vehicle. Bizunesh Deba of Ethiopia
9864-510: The defeated Persians to rush into the city to claim a false victory or simply raid, hence claiming their authority over Greek land. It was said that he ran the entire distance to Athens without stopping, discarding his weapons and even clothes to lose as much weight as possible, and burst into the assembly , exclaiming "we have won!", before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appeared in Plutarch 's On
10001-460: The distance covered in kilometers. The rules do not mention the use of miles. The IAAF will only recognize world records established at events run under IAAF rules. For major events, it is customary to publish competitors' timings at the midway mark and also at 5 km splits; marathon runners can be credited with world records for lesser distances recognized by the IAAF (such as 20 km, 30 km and so on) if such records are established while
10138-498: The distance from Marathon to Athens by the longer, flatter route. The exact length depended on the route established for each venue. The International Olympic Committee agreed in 1907 that the distance for the 1908 London Olympic marathon would be about 25 miles or 40 kilometers. The organizers decided on a course of 26 miles from the start at Windsor Castle to the royal entrance to the White City Stadium , followed by
10275-536: The earliest accounts similar to the modern version of the story, but its historical veracity is disputed based on its tongue-in-cheek writing and the runner being referred to as Philippides and not Pheidippides. There is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend. The Greek historian Herodotus , the main source for the Greco-Persian Wars , mentioned Philippides as the messenger who ran from Athens to Sparta asking for help, and then ran back,
10412-427: The end of the race, with a subsequent investigation concluding that she had skipped most of the race and blended into the crowd about a half-mile (800 m) from the finish line, where she then ran to her false victory. She was disqualified eight days later, and Canadian Jacqueline Gareau was proclaimed the winner. In 1905, James Edward Brooks of North Adams, Massachusetts , died of pneumonia shortly after running
10549-460: The error was discovered. Bobbi Gibb had completed the Boston race unofficially the previous year (1966), and was later recognized by the race organizers as the women's winner for that year, as well as 1967 and 1968 . The length of an Olympic marathon was not precisely fixed at first. Despite this, the marathon races in the first few Olympic Games were about 40 kilometres (25 mi), roughly
10686-481: The estimated U.S. Marathon Finisher totals going back to 1976. Marathon running has become an obsession in China , with 22 marathon races in 2011 increasing to 400 in 2017. In 2015, 75 Chinese runners participated in the Boston Marathon and this increased to 278 in 2017. As marathon running has become more popular, some athletes have undertaken challenges involving running a series of marathons. The 100 Marathon Club
10823-480: The field would be limited to 20,000 runners. The race was the fourth of the five World Marathon Majors held in 2021; all the events in the series were run in the space of six weeks between late September and early November. In 2021, the B.A.A. also offered a virtual alternative to the in-person race to be completed anytime between 8–10 October. The Boston Marathon is open to runners 18 or older from any nation, but they must meet certain qualifying standards. To qualify,
10960-447: The first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics . It is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. Its course runs from Hopkinton in southern Middlesex County to Copley Square in Boston. Johnny Hayes ' victory at the 1908 Summer Olympics also contributed to the early growth of long-distance running and marathoning in the United States. Later that year, races around
11097-587: The following sports: The AAU Junior Olympic Games is the largest multi-sport event for youth in the United States. It has become the showcase event of the AAU Sports Program. The Games originated from ‘telegraphic' state track and field competitions. National Champions were determined through telephone and/or mail entries instead of head-to-head competition. In 1949, the AAU conducted its first ‘live' national meet in Cleveland, Ohio — giving birth to
11234-472: The founder of the modern Olympics, as well as by the Greeks . A selection race for the Olympic marathon was held on 22 March 1896 ( Gregorian ) that was won by Charilaos Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes. The winner of the first Olympic marathon , on 10 April 1896 (a male-only race), was Spyridon Louis , a Greek water-carrier, in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds. The marathon of the 2004 Summer Olympics
11371-490: The goal of creating common standards in amateur sport. Since then, most national championships for youth athletes in the United States have taken place under AAU leadership. From its founding as a publicly supported organization, the AAU has represented U.S. sports within the various international sports federations. In the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Spalding Athletic Library of the Spaulding Company published
11508-648: The honor. In 1944, Ann Curtis, an 18-year-old swimmer from San Francisco, became the first woman to receive the AAU Sullivan Award. Curtis had captured eight AAU titles during the year. In 2024, the 94th AAU James E. Sullivan Award was presented to college basketball star Caitlin Clark , who became the first ever two-time winner of the award. Other finalists included David Taylor (Wrestler), Emery Lehman (Speedskating), Frederick Richard (Gymnastics), Madisen Skinner (Volleyball) and Noah Jaffe (Para Swimming) . Masters Track and Field officially began in 1968, and in 1971 became
11645-544: The inaugural AAU Junior Olympic Games in Washington, D.C. in 1967. National champions were determined in swimming and track and field. Eighteen AAU records in swimming and three in track and field were established. Since its beginning in Washington, D.C. in 1967, the AAU Junior Olympic Games have been conducted in 19 states and 31 cities across the United States. The Games popularity has exploded from
11782-663: The knee, became the first amputee to finish this circuit. Bryant has completed a total of 59 marathons on his prosthesis. Twenty-seven people have run a marathon on each of the seven continents, and 31 people have run a marathon in each of the Canadian provinces. In 1980, in what was termed the Marathon of Hope , Terry Fox , who had lost a leg to cancer and so ran with one artificial leg, attained 5,373 km (3,339 mi) of his proposed cross-Canada cancer fundraising run, maintaining an average of over 37 km (23 mi), close to
11919-588: The marathon in 2000. Some of the quickest people to complete a wheel-chair marathon include Thomas Geierpichler (Austria), who won gold in the men's T52-class marathon (no lower limb function) in 1 hr 49 min 7 sec in Beijing, China, on 17 September 2008; and, Heinz Frei (Switzerland) who won the men's T54 marathon (for racers with spinal cord injuries) in a time of 1 hr 20 min and 14 sec in Oita, Japan, 31 October 1999. World records were not officially recognized by
12056-419: The marathon, for women. Although a few women, such as Stamata Revithi in 1896, had run the marathon distance, they were not included in any official results. Marie-Louise Ledru has been credited as the first woman to complete a marathon, in 1918. Violet Piercy has been credited as the first woman to be officially timed in a marathon, in 1926. Arlene Pieper became the first woman to officially finish
12193-481: The marathon. In 1996, a 61-year-old Swedish man, Humphrey Siesage, died of a heart attack during the 100th running. In 2002, Cynthia Lucero, 28, died of hyponatremia . On April 18, 2011, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the 2011 Boston Marathon in a time of 2:03:02:00. Although this was the fastest marathon ever run at the time, the International Association of Athletics Federations noted that
12330-398: The men's record time set was 2:25:39, by Suh Yun-Bok of South Korea . In 1975, a women's world record of 2:42:24 was set by Liane Winter of West Germany , and in 1983, Joan Benoit Samuelson of the United States ran a women's world record time of 2:22:43. In 2012 Joshua Cassidy of Canada set a men's wheelchair marathon world-record time of 1:18:25. In 2007, astronaut Sunita Williams
12467-531: The names of the winners. Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42km 195m ( c. 26mi 385yd), usually run as a road race , but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held worldwide each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants. A creation of
12604-462: The oldest marathoner. Because Singh could not produce a birth certificate from rural 1911 Colonial India, the place of his birth, his age could not be verified and his record was not accepted by the official governing body World Masters Athletics . Johnny Kelley ran his last full Boston Marathon at the documented age of 84 in 1992. He previously had won the Boston Marathon in both 1935 and 1945 respectively. Between 1934 and 1950, Johnny finished in
12741-521: The organization of national sports events. Prior to the AAU, the National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAA) existed from 1879 to 1888. The AAU was co-founded in 1888 by William Buckingham Curtis to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sports. During its early years the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the United States in the international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with
12878-730: The original 523 athletes to more than 18,000 participants representing all 50 states and several United States territories. The AAU Junior Olympic Games has been honored with Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism Awards from Sports Destination Management in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023. The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships is one of AAU’s premier and award-winning national events. The inaugural AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships took place on June 25, 1974 in Catonsville, Maryland. Nineteen teams participated, representing 10 states. In June 1997,
13015-414: The performance was not eligible for world record status given that the course did not satisfy rules that regarded elevation drop and start/finish separation (the latter requirement being intended to prevent advantages gained from a strong tailwind , as was the case in 2011). The Associated Press (AP) reported that Mutai had the support of other runners who describe the IAAF's rules as "flawed". According to
13152-565: The planned marathon distance, for each of 143 consecutive days. On 25 September 2011, Patrick Finney of Grapevine, Texas became the first person with multiple sclerosis to finish a marathon in each state of the United States. In 2004, "the disease had left him unable to walk. But unwilling to endure a life of infirmity, Finney managed to regain his ability to balance on two feet, to walk – and eventually to run – through extensive rehabilitation therapy and new medications." Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union ( AAU )
13289-510: The portion of a marathon distance where muscle glycogen stores are most likely to be depleted—a phenomenon referred to by marathoners as " hitting the wall ". It was on this hill that, in 1936, defending champion John A. "Johnny" Kelley overtook Ellison "Tarzan" Brown , giving him a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. This gesture renewed the competitive drive in Brown, who rallied, pulled ahead of Kelley, and went on to win—thereby, it
13426-657: The program teaches life skills, character development, and harmony. On September 16–17, 2023, the AAU Urban Initiative program held an inaugural 3v3 AAU Basketball Tournament at Times Square in New York City in cooperation with the NYPD. The AAU College Hockey was established in March 2023, through the collaboration of the Collegiate Hockey Federation and Amateur Athletic Union. Beginning with
13563-476: The qualifying times for the 2020 marathon by another five minutes, with male runners in the 18-34 age group required to run a time of 3:00:00 (3 hours) or less and female runners in the 18-34 age group required to run a time of 3:30:00 (3 hours, 30 minutes) or less in order to qualify. In September 2024, the B.A.A. announced new qualifying times for the 2026 race, lowering the former qualifying times by five minutes for most age groups. The 18-34 age group needs to run
13700-404: The race in under 3 hours and 30 minutes. Hall finished in 2 hours and 58 minutes, paving the way for the wheelchair division. Ernst Van Dyk, in 2004, set a course record at 1:18.29, almost 50 minutes faster than the fastest runner. Also in 1975, the Boston Marathon first included a women's masters division, which Sylvia Weiner won, at age 44 with a time of 3:21:38. Handcyclists have competed in
13837-651: The race linking the Athenian and American struggles for liberty. The race, which became known as the Boston Marathon, has been held in some form every year since then, even during the World War years and the Great Depression , making it the world's oldest annual marathon. In 1924, the starting line was moved from Metcalf's Mill in Ashland to the neighboring town of Hopkinton . The course was lengthened to 26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km) to conform to
13974-400: The race organizers as the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon. In 1967, Kathrine Switzer , who registered for the race using her official AAU registration number, paying the entry fee, providing a properly acquired fitness certificate, and signing her entry form with her usual signature 'K. V. Switzer', was the first woman to run and finish with a valid official race registration. As
14111-400: The race since at least 2014. Starting in 2017, handcyclists are honored the same way runners and wheelchair racers are: with wreaths, prize money, and the playing of the men's and women's winners' national anthems. In addition to the push rim wheelchair division, the Boston Marathon also hosts a blind/visually impaired division, and a mobility impaired program. Similar to the running divisions,
14248-569: The roads are also contested in both). The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides , the Greek messenger. The legend states that while he was taking part in the Battle of Marathon , which took place in August or September 490 BC, he witnessed a Persian vessel changing its course towards Athens as the battle was near a victorious end for the Greek army. He interpreted this as an attempt by
14385-429: The runner is running a marathon and completes the marathon course. Annually, more than 800 marathons are organized worldwide. Some of these belong to the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) which has grown since its foundation in 1982 to embrace over 300 member events in 83 countries and territories. The marathons of Berlin , Boston , Chicago , London , New York City and Tokyo form
14522-513: The standard set by the 1908 Summer Olympics and codified by the IAAF in 1921. The first 1.9 miles (3.1 km) are run in Hopkinton before the runners enter Ashland. The Boston Marathon was originally a local event, but its fame and status have attracted runners from all over the world. For most of its history, the Boston Marathon was a free event, and the only prize awarded for winning the race
14659-462: The start and finish were on The Mall , and at the 2016 Summer Olympics ( Rio de Janeiro ), the start and finish were in the Sambódromo , the parade area that serves as a spectator mall for Carnival . Often, the men's marathon medals are awarded during the closing ceremony (including the 2004 games , 2012 games , 2016 games and 2020 games ). The Olympic men's record is 2:06:26, set at
14796-449: The then United States Olympic Committee and saw the re-establishment of independent associations for the Olympic sports, referred to as national governing bodies . The rise of professionalism in all sports in the latter half of the 20th century also hurt the AAU's viability. As a result, the AAU lost its influence and importance in international sports, and focused on the support and promotion of predominantly youthful athletes, as well as on
14933-496: The three hills on Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) are better known, a preceding hill on Washington Street (Route 16), climbing from the Charles River crossing at 16 miles (26 km), is regarded by Dave McGillivray, the long-term race director, as the course's most difficult challenge. This hill, which follows a 150-foot (46 m) rise over a 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) stretch, forces many lesser-trained runners to
15070-496: The top five 15 times, consistently running in the 2:30s and finishing in second place a record seven times at Boston. A fixture at Boston for more than a half century, his 1992 61st start and 58th finish in Boston is a record which still stands today. Gladys Burrill, a 92-year-old Prospect, Oregon woman and part-time resident of Hawaii, previously held the Guinness World Records title of oldest person to complete
15207-571: The two countries. The AAU then issued an ultimatum to the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL) in August 1937, not to have any Canadian-born players in its league. EAHL president Tommy Lockhart chose to break away from the AAU and reached an agreement with the CAHA, then founded the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) to govern ice hockey. The AHAUS and the CAHA joined to form
15344-461: The virus and recovering our economy, this kind of event would not be responsible or realistic on September 14 or any time this year." Runners were issued full refunds of entry fees. Organizers later staged a "virtual alternative" in September 2020 as the 124th running of the marathon. This was the second time that the format of the marathon was modified, the first having been in 1918, when the race
15481-463: The world compete in the Boston Marathon each year, braving the hilly Massachusetts terrain and varying weather to take part in the race. The event attracts 500,000 spectators along the route, making it New England's most viewed sporting event. Starting with just 15 participants in 1897, the event has grown to an average of about 30,000 registered participants each year, with 30,251 people entering in 2015. The Centennial Boston Marathon in 1996 established
15618-405: The world record at 1:18:27, set in Boston in 2004. Jean Driscoll won eight times (seven consecutively) and holds the women's world record at 1:34:22. The New York City Marathon banned wheelchair entrants in 1977, citing safety concerns, but then voluntarily allowed Bob Hall to compete after the state Division of Human Rights ordered the marathon to show cause. The Division ruled in 1979 that
15755-529: The world's best-known road racing events. It is one of seven World Marathon Majors . Its course runs from Hopkinton in southern Middlesex County to Copley Square in Boston . The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has organized this event annually since 1897, including a "virtual alternative" after the 2020 road race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The race has been managed by DMSE Sports since 1988. Amateur and professional runners from all over
15892-434: Was "under the table." As a result, many American athletes' careers were frequently cut short shortly after their subsidized participation at the collegiate level ended, even as Eastern Bloc and other international athletes frequently had their careers extended under the facade of being a part of national military or police service (usually being more honorary than productive work) which extended their amateurism. Pressure from
16029-636: Was a wreath woven from olive branches. However, corporate -sponsored cash prizes began to be awarded in the 1980s, when professional athletes refused to run the race unless a cash award was available. The first cash prize for winning the marathon was awarded in 1986. Walter A. Brown was the President of the Boston Athletic Association from 1941 to 1964. During the height of the Korean War in 1951, Brown denied Koreans entry into
16166-516: Was also reported to be 93 by other sources. In 2015, 92-year-old Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, completed the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon in 7 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds, thus becoming the oldest woman to complete a marathon. While Gladys Burrill was 92 years and 19 days old when she completed her record-setting marathon, Harriette Thompson was 92 years and 65 days old when she completed hers. English born Canadian Ed Whitlock
16303-645: Was an official entrant of the race, running a marathon distance while on the International Space Station , becoming the first person to run a marathon in space. She was sent a specialty bib and medal by the B.A.A. on the STS-117 flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis . The race's organizers keep a standard time clock for all entries, though official timekeeping ceases after the six-hour mark. The Boston Athletic Association
16440-434: Was approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) long. It was the approximate distance originally used for marathon races. However, there have been suggestions that Philippides might have followed another route: a westward climb along the eastern and northern slopes of Mount Penteli to the pass of Dionysos , and then a straight southward downhill path to Athens. This route is slightly shorter, 35 kilometres (22 mi), but includes
16577-487: Was changed from a marathon to a military relay race ( ekiden ) because of World War I . On October 28, 2020, the B.A.A. announced that the 2021 edition of the marathon would not be held in April; organizers stated that they hoped to stage the event later in the year, possibly in the autumn. In late January 2021, organizers announced October 11 as the date for the marathon, contingent upon road races being allowed in Massachusetts at that time. In March, organizers announced that
16714-499: Was correspondingly fixed to that Monday, often referred to by local residents as "Marathon Monday". Through 2005, the race began at noon ( wheelchair race at 11:25 a.m., and elite women at 11:31 a.m.), at the official starting point in Hopkinton, Massachusetts . In 2006, the race used a staggered "wave start", where top-seeded runners (the elite men's group) and a first batch of up to 10,000 runners started at noon, with
16851-556: Was discontinued in 1996. The Athens Classic Marathon traces the route of the 1896 Olympic course, starting in Marathon on the eastern coast of Attica, site of the Battle of Marathon of 490 BC, and ending at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens . The Midnight Sun Marathon is held in Tromsø , Norway at 70 degrees north . Using unofficial and temporary courses measured by GPS, races of marathon distance are now held at
16988-430: Was eventually named women's winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon , following the disqualification of Kenyan Rita Jeptoo from the event due to confirmed doping. Deba finished in a time of 2:19:59, and became the course record holder. Her performance bested that of Margaret Okayo , who ran a time of 2:20:43 in 2002. In the 2016 Boston Marathon , Jami Marseilles, an American, became the first female double amputee to finish
17125-559: Was held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports and the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The 50th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in 2023 was the largest event to date with 5,194 teams (966 boys and 4228 girls) competing. It's the largest sporting event ever held at the Orange County Convention Center. Over the years, this premier AAU event has been recognized as a seven-time winner of
17262-570: Was in 1974 in Toledo, Ohio, and it was won by Bob Hall at 2:54. Hall competed in the 1975 Boston Marathon and finished in 2:58, inaugurating the introduction of wheelchair divisions into the Boston Marathon. From 1977, the race was declared the US National Wheelchair championship. The Boston Marathon awards $ 10,000 to the winning push-rim athlete. Ernst van Dyk has won the Boston Marathon wheelchair division ten times and holds
17399-416: Was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles, US) and was won by Joan Benoit of the United States with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds. It has become a tradition for the men's Olympic marathon to be the last event of the athletics calendar, on the final day of the Olympics. For many years, the race finished inside the Olympic stadium; however, at the 2012 Summer Olympics (London),
17536-480: Was precipitated by grumblings of the inefficiency of the AAU to manage the multitude of sports at the Olympic level. USA Gymnastics was formed initially as a feeder program in 1963 as a response to perceived poor performance by the American performers in the Olympics and at World Championships. The USWF was formed in 1968 as an effort to take over amateur wrestling as an independent governing body. Their position
17673-421: Was run on the traditional route from Marathon to Athens , ending at Panathinaiko Stadium , the venue for the 1896 Summer Olympics. That men's marathon was won by Italian Stefano Baldini in 2 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds, a record time for this route until the non-Olympics Athens Classic Marathon of 2014 when Felix Kandie lowered the course record to 2 hours 10 minutes and 37 seconds. The women's marathon
17810-406: Was said, breaking Kelley's heart. Because the course drops 459 feet (140 m) from start to finish and the start is quite far west of the finish, allowing a helpful tailwind, the Boston Marathon does not satisfy two of the criteria necessary for the ratification of world or American records. At the 2011 Boston Marathon on April 18, 2011, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya ran a time of 2:03:02, which
17947-575: Was supported by the United States Olympic Committee led by Avery Brundage , who threatened a United States boycott the Olympics if an AHAUS team was recognized instead of an AAU team. The status of ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics was not resolved until the night before the Olympics began, after bitter negotiations. The International Olympic Committee allowed the AHAUS team to participate, but they were ineligible to win an Olympic medal. The Amateur Sports Act of 1978
18084-458: Was supported when FILA , then wrestling's world governing body, refused to accept membership of "umbrella" sports organizations like the AAU. The International Track Association was formed immediately after the 1972 Olympics. Prior to the formation of the ITA, track and field athletes were amateur athletes, as required by the Olympic creed of the day. The only income they received from their sport
18221-418: Was that if a woman was allowed to run more than a half-mile they would put their reproductive health at risk. But by 1923 the AAU allowed women to compete in most sports, including basketball. The AAU held women's basketball tournaments from 1926 through 1970. In 1961, the Amateur Athletic Union still prohibited women from competing in road running events and even if organizers broke the rule and allowed
18358-607: Was the fastest ever marathon at the time (since surpassed by Eliud Kipchoge 's 2:01:39 in Berlin 2018). However, due to the reasons listed above, Mutai's performance was not ratified as an official world record. Bezunesh Deba from Ethiopia set the women's course record with a 2:19:59 performance on April 21, 2014. This was declared after Rita Jeptoo from Kenya was disqualified following a confirmed doping violation. Other course records include: On only four occasions have world record times for marathon running been set in Boston. In 1947,
18495-430: Was the first postponement in the more than 100 year uninterrupted history of the event. On May 28, 2020, it was announced that the rescheduled marathon set for September 14 was canceled. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said of the decision to cancel the race, "There's no way to hold this usual race format without bringing large numbers of people into close proximity. While our goal and our hope was to make progress in containing
18632-485: Was the first time in history a woman broke the 2:11 and 2:10 barriers in the marathon. The data is correct as of 2 November 2024 . Notes Fauja Singh , then 100, finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon , becoming the first centenarian ever to officially complete that distance. Singh, a British citizen, finished the race on 16 October 2011 with a time of 8:11:05.9, making him
18769-448: Was the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon, which occurred in 1972. In 1996, the B.A.A. retroactively recognized as champions the unofficial women's leaders of 1966 through 1971. In 2015, about 46 percent of the entrants were female. In 1980, Rosie Ruiz crossed the finish line first in the women's race. However, marathon officials became suspicious, and it was discovered that she did not appear in race videotapes until near
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