Bobbi Gibb's Motivation For Running In The 1964 Boston Marathon

691 Words2 Pages

Motivation to run comes in many different forms, it can be the need to finish an omnipresent goal, the need to prove something, or it could be to simply push yourself to a limit you did not know you had. For Bobbi Gibb and Kathrine Switzer, it was all of the above. For 75 years women were not allowed to run in the Boston Marathon. Many people in this time frame believed that a woman did not have the physical or substantial ability to run long distances, especially the 26.2 miles that make up a marathon. Bobbi and Kathrine would not stand for this conflict and through their actions created a compromise.
In 1966 the world of an American woman was limited in almost every aspect, from her workplace, to even her family life. Women were to follow …show more content…

Remember when you were an eight-year-old kid, running through the woods. Remember the feeling of absolute freedom as you felt the wind in your hair. Most women stopped running around that age, but, Bobbi Gibb was one of the few women to not let the pressure of society stop her from doing what she loved. On April 19, 1966, Bobbi Gibb was the first woman to unofficially run the Boston Marathon. After witnessing the 1964 Boston Marathon, Bobbi recognized a familiar passion for running in the athletes. Bobbi decided she too wanted to participate in this extreme challenge. But, because running was a male-dominated sport, and Bobbi was the first woman to penetrate this field, she faced some challenges. When Bobbi applied for the race, she was denied entry. The Ameteur Athletic Union aka the (AAU) did not believe …show more content…

Fearing someone might try to stop her, Bobbi left for the marathon without telling anyone except her mother. Bobbi wore her brother's Bermuda shorts, men's running shoes, and a hooded sweatshirt. And hid behind some bushes about 150 feet in front of the starting line. after about half of the men passed her hiding spot, she jumped in the race. Bobbi states that she was very anxious while running because she thought that if the police spotted her illegally running, that she would be arrested. However, the men that ran next to her said that they would not let anything happen to her. When Bobbi finished, she was not offered food or water. But instead, taken into a room for an

Show More
Related

  • The Evolving Role of Women in American History

    2170 Words  | 5 Pages

    The role of American women has changed significantly from the time the nation was born, to the modern era of the 1950s and 1960s. Many people, "... believed that women's talent and energies ... would be put to the better [use] in the new republic." (Clinton 3) Clearly showing that society has seen the importance of the women's talents and that their skills can be very useful, exploited this and thus, the change of the women's role was inevitable. Society has understood that the roles of women played an important role on all parts of life.

    Read More

  • One Of The Girls Heywood Summary

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1826 Gertrude Ederle swam the English channel two hours faster than all the men who preceded her. In 1967 Kathrine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon disguised as a man, because females were not allowed to run.

    Read More

  • Analyzing The Story 'Running For His Life' By Michael Hall

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    They race against themselves: to conquer their wills, to transcend their weaknesses, to beat back their nightmares" (603). This quotation shows that running is not always competition, but it helps runners overcome their

    Read More

  • Jackie Kennedy: Women's Lib Predecessor

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Salisbury, Joyce E. and Andrew E Kersten. “Women in the United States, 1960–1990.” Daily Life through History.ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Babysitter And The Man Upstairs Analysis

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the sixties and seventies there was an influx of social change movements, from civil rights, gay rights, student’s rights and feminism. In the early sixties the US was experiencing

    Read More

  • Unbroken Essay Papers

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    A young boy by the name of Louise “Louie” Zamperini begins his life as a troubled kid. Not obeying the rules of his mother, drinking alcohol, smoking behind buildings and getting into fights with the little boys that picked on him. He was pushed by his older brother who ran track to start his life in track. He wasn’t convinced at first but he trains and trains with the help of his brother. Louie became the greatest runner in high school and was well on his way towards the Olympics. His brother trains with him daily when Louie becomes one of the greatest distance runners and earning the nickname, “The

    Read More

  • The Future of the Equal Rights Amendment

    3627 Words  | 8 Pages

    "Rediscovering American Women: A Chronology Highlighting Women's History in the United States." Issues in Feminism. Ed. Sheila Ruth. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998. 494-509.

    Read More

  • The Counterculture

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    To ensure that women would have the same opportunities as men in jobs, education, and political participation, the National Organization for women was formed in 1966 (Foner 944). The sixties also marked the beginning of a public campaign to repeal state laws that banned abortion or left the decision to terminate a pregnancy to physicians instead of the woman (Foner 945). Although the sixties were a decade in which the United States became a more open, more tolerant, and a freer country, in some ways it became less of a thing. During the sixties, America intervened in other nations and efforts were made to stop the progress of the civil rights movement. Because of America’s foreign policy and Americans fighting against the civil rights movement, it is clear that the sixties in America were not purely a decade of openness, tolerance, and freedom in the United States.

    Read More

  • Women's Fight to Reform their World in the Early 1900s

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moran, Mickey. “1930s, America- Feminist Void?” Loyno. Department of History, 1988. Web. 11 May. 2014.

    Read More

  • Women's Movement Of 1960's

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today.

    Read More

  • Essay On Kansas Places

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    Running is not easy, but most Saturday mornings in the summer, I convince myself to step outside and test the strength of my heart by running a few miles. Half-Marathon US Champion Julia Stamps once stated, “Running away, can also be running toward something.” That is exactly what I do. When I start running away from my house, I end up running towards a specific destination. Two miles in, I stop at my destination to enjoy the view of Ted Grinter’s

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Feminism in Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, and Robert Funk. 4th Ed. -. Upper Saddle River: Prentice, 1996. 293-307. Hewitt, Nancy. A. "Beyond the Search for Sisterhood: American Women's History in the 1980's.

    Read More

  • Women In The 70's Essay

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 1960’s women were still seen as trophies and were beginning to be accepted into the work industry. They were still homemakers, raised the family, and made sure their husbands were happy. That was the social norms for women during that time period. They were not held to high work expectations like men were. But something amazing happened that would change women 's lives for centuries; it was the 1970’s. The 60’s put the equality movement in motion but 70’s was a time of reform where women were finally able to control their own paths. Not only was the 70’s a historical marker for the fiftieth anniversary for women suffrage, it was also a marker for the drastic change of different social norms, the changes of the American Dream, and the

    Read More

  • Rise Of The Tegla Loroupe Community

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    When marathon runner Tegla Loroupe decided to pursue running at a young age, men in her tribe told her: “Tegla, you're wasting your time.” Living in a community that was shattered by warfare and that lacked hope, Loroupe overcame many obstacles and proved them wrong. She grew up on a farm in Kapenguria, Kenya. Her passion for running started at a young age when she realized it was the quickest way to go from place to place. She lived six miles away from school and she had to sprint to get there on time, because students were beaten if they were late. In addition, she ran about a dozen miles twice a week while she herded cattle on the farm. Loroupe always ran barefoot despite the terrain, because shoes were a luxury she could not afford. She

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative - Race

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    Going into the first race we had not expected much since Susan and I had never run this type of race. There were so many crucial things that we had to remember. It wasn't just to get out of the blocks and burn up the track; there was a baton involved, a certain amount of steps to take, and even a certain way to hold the baton.

    Read More

More about Bobbi Gibb's Motivation For Running In The 1964 Boston Marathon

Open Document