The Boston Marathon’s legacy began in 1897—well before Runner’s World was born. It wasn’t until 71 years later that Distance Running News (our forefather) covered the event for the first time, kicking off a long tradition of Boston-related stories in our pages. Here, we look back at that coverage, from Hopkinton to Boylston and everything in between.
May 1969 Front Page News
DRN’s first Boston Marathon cover captured a pack at mile 10.5 chasing Japanese runner Yoshiaki Unetani. Yes, that is a car parked on the spectator-light course.
May 1972 Women Allowed, At Last!
Six years after Bobbi Gibb’s run, women were allowed to register and race. From the issue: “the women! they got most of the attention. They had true equality and had to meet the same qualifying standards as the men.”
June 1975 Boston Billy
When Bill Rodgers broke the course record in 2:09:55, RW reported that he was fueled by pancakes made by his girlfriend.
July 1980 The Real Winner
Rosie Ruiz, the most notorious cheat in history, didn’t appear in RW. We celebrated the real champ, Jackie Gareau. Years later, spectators have some snarky fun at mile 25.
July 1982 The Heat Is On
Before John Brant’s 2004 article and book Duel in the Sun, RW showed the battle of Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar in a postrace Q&A. Though Salazar won, Beardsley was pleased that he made him fight.
July 1983 Joanie’s Record
One day before the 1983 race, Grete Waitz ran London in 2:25:28, besting the world record held by Joan Benoit. But the next day, Benoit won Boston in 2:22:43, taking back the WR.
April 1996 Heartbreaker
When RW turned 30, Boston became a centenarian. We featured its heroes and, of course, the hill known around the world.
May 2005 Insider Info
We did a mile-by-mile course map, noting landmarks like the Wellesley college cheering section at 12.5. At mile 15, race director Dave McGillivray warned: “The climb over [Route] 128 is the toughest part.”
May 2011 BQ Or Die
In the wake of tougher qualifying times, we examined the BQ-as-Holy Grail phenomenon. “It’s a heroic label,” said psychology professor Christopher Peterson, Ph.D.
July 2013 The Aftermath
Our special issue about the terrorist attacks took the form of a somber remembrance and recognized that Boston, as a city, was stronger than ever. Meb Keflezighi was spectating at the finish just before the explosions.
