1969 Boston Marathon

1969 Boston Marathon
Venue	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Date	April 21, 1969
Competitors	1,152
Champions
Men	Yoshiaki Unetani (2:13:49)
Women	Sara Mae Berman (3:22:46)
←  1968 1970  →

The 1969 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 21, 1969. It was the 73rd time the Boston Marathon was organized. The race featured 1,342 official entrants, ^[1] with 1,152 starting the race. ^[2]

The race was won by Yoshiaki Unetani of Japan in 2:13:49, a new course record. ^[2] This was the first edition of the Boston Marathon contested with the Patriots' Day holiday defined as the third Monday in April. ^{[3] [4]}

Results

Men

Position	Athlete	Nationality	Time
1	Yoshiaki Unetani	Japan	2:13:49
2	Pablo Garrido	Mexico	2:17:30
3	Alfredo Peñaloza	Mexico	2:19:56
4	Ron Daws	United States	2:20:23
5	Robert Moore	United Kingdom [a]	2:21:28
6	Bob Deines	United States	2:22:49
7	José García	Mexico	2:23:16
8	Pat McMahon	Ireland	2:23:24
9	Phil Hampton	United Kingdom	2:23:46
10	Pentti Rummakko	Finland	2:24:14

Other notable participants included Amby Burfoot (15th), John J. Kelley (22nd), and George A. Hirsch (340th),

Source: ^{[6] [5] [7]}

Women

Women were not officially allowed to enter until 1972, but their first-place results from 1966 through 1971 were later ratified by the Boston Athletic Association. ^[8] Sara Mae Berman, originally from The Bronx in New York City, finished first among women runners, credited with a time of 3:22:46. ^[9] Berman is also recognized as the 1970 and 1971 women's champion. ^[9]

Notes

1. Boston Athletic Association records list Moore as being a Canadian resident; contemporary news reports noted that he was originally from England. ^[5]

References

1. Craig, Jack (April 21, 1969). "Japanese Unetani Sets Marathon Record". The Boston Globe . p. 1. Retrieved April 27, 2025– via newspapers.com.
2. Nason, Jerry (April 22, 1969). "Unetani Smashes BAA Mark". The Boston Globe . p. 1. Retrieved April 27, 2025– via newspapers.com.
3. "History of the Boston Marathon". baa.org. Boston Athletic Association . Retrieved April 17, 2025.
4. Bird, Hayden (April 15, 2017). "The Boston Marathon wasn't always held on a Monday". Boston.com . Retrieved April 27, 2025.
5. Nason, Jerry (April 22, 1969). "Unetani Turns Back Only Challenge by Mexican Pair". p. 37. Retrieved April 27, 2025– via newspapers.com.
6. "Boston Marathon Historical Results" (PDF). baa.org. Boston Athletic Association . Retrieved April 27, 2025.
7. Hirsch, George A. (April 13, 2019). "$2 and Some Pancakes Went Far at the 1969 Boston Marathon" . The New York Times . Retrieved April 27, 2025.
8. "Worth the wait". The Boston Globe . April 13, 1996. p. 77. Retrieved April 27, 2025– via newspapers.com.
9. "Champions Of The Boston Marathon". baa.org. Boston Athletic Association . Retrieved April 27, 2025.