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A Mini History Lesson In 1972, to combat the irony that women were making huge inroads into the male-dominated world of road running, yet were not officially recognized in most distance races, Fred Lebow, Nina Kuscsik, Kathrine Switzer and others decided to launch a women-only race. Lebow and crew recruited in schools, bars, and even among Playboy bunnies. The first Women's Mini Marathon 10K (named for the miniskirt, which was then in vogue) drew 78 women—a huge turnout at the time. The Playboy bunnies didn't run the distance, but they generated enormous publicity. If the bunnies were an insult, real injury was added when Kuscsik and Switzer were asked to pose with their dresses hiked up over their knees at a press conference for the event. (They refused.) Now in it’s 30th running, the New York Women's Mini Marathon 10K is a world-class athletic competition. |
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