Bobbi Gibb is thought to be the first woman to complete an official marathon. Yes, before Kathryn Switzer in 1967 – but also at Boston. Roberta Gibb crossed that iconic finish line for the first time in 1966. But unlike Switzer in 1967, who wrote her initial on the entry form and was thus granted a race bib, Bobbi completed Boston as a ‘bandit’.
Bandits have long competed in races; they are runners who don’t secure official entries but still jump in at the start. Why? At that time, the longest distance a woman was allowed to run was one and a half miles.