 Marilyn Bevans Honored at Boston Marathon on Fiftieth Anniversary of Her Historic RaceFirst African American woman to break the three-hour marathon barrier in 1975 was also the first Black woman in the world to break the barrier. In 1977, she became the first Black woman to place at the Boston and Chicago Marathon with second place finishes and to be ranked in the top ten women marathoners in the world by Track and Field News.
She was inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2013 by the National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA) and was featured in the documentary Breaking Three Hours: Trailblazing African American Women Marathoners in 2022. Anthony Reed, the NBMA co-founder and executive director, also wrote and directed the feature-length documentary. He noticed that the annual ranking of the top ten fastest women marathoners in Track and Field News didn't begin until 1976. This was the year after Ms. Bevans broke three hours for the first time at the Boston Marathon. In 1977, she was the first Black woman globally to achieve a top ten ranking. Thus, there's an extremely high probability that she was also the first Black woman to break three hours. Kenya's Tegla Loroupe was the second Black woman to be ranked in the top ten in 1994. Anthony says that we're looking forward to celebrations at both the 2027 Boston and Chicago Marathons to honor the fiftieth anniversary of her astounding 1977 feats. About the National Black Marathoners' Association: Contact National Black Marathoners Association ***@blackmarathoners.org Photos: https://www.prlog.org/ https://www.prlog.org/ https://www.prlog.org/ End
|
Account Phone Number