1896
First Woman Runs Olympic Marathon
First modern Olympic games, Stamata Revithi runs the marathon — the day after the men.
1922
The First Women’s Olympic Games
The First Women’s Olympic Games, organized by Alice Milliat, garners 20,000 spectators.
1928
Women Race Lengths Restricted
The myth that all the competitors in the 800-meter women’s Olympic race collapsed means women won’t run longer than 100 meters officially for decades.
1948
First Black Woman to Win an Olympic Medal
Audrey “Mickey” Patterson was the first Black woman to win an olympic medal; she won bronze in the 200-meter dash.
1954
First Woman to Run a Sub 5 Minute Mile
Diane Leather runs the first women’s sub-5:00 mile, the same year that Roger Bannister breaks the 4:00 minute mile for the first time.
1966
First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon
Bobbi Gibb becomes the first woman to run the Boston Marathon when she defies the all-men rule and sneaks into the race.
1967
First Officially Registered Woman to Run the Boston Marathon
Katherine Switzer becomes the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon under the registered name K.V. Switzer to avoid gender discrimination.
1981
Women’s Marathon Included in the Olympics
The International Olympic Committee voted to include the women’s marathon in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1984
First Woman to Win Gold Medal for Olympic Woman’s Marathon
Joan Benoit Samuelson wins the first ever Olympic Gold medal in the Women’s Marathon in Los Angeles.