1970 Boston Marathon

Last updated
1970 Boston Marathon
Venue Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DateApril 20, 1970
Champions
Men Ron Hill (2:10:30)
Women Sara Mae Berman (3:05:07)
 1969
1971 

The 1970 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 20, 1970. It was the 74th time the Boston Marathon was organized, and featured 1,174 official entrants. [1] This was the first edition of the race to have a qualifying standard, as the entry form stipulated "A runner must submit the certification...that he has trained sufficiently to finish the course in less than four hours." [2]

Contents

The race was won by Ron Hill of England in 2:10:30. [3] 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. Hill shattered the course record, set by Yoshiaki Unetani the prior year, by more than three minutes. [4] Eamon O'Reilly of the United States finished second, just 42 seconds behind, in 2:11:12, the second-fastest time ever recorded for the event. [4] Hill and O'Reilly were the first two runners in the event's history to break 2 hours 12 minutes. Hill became the first runner in Boston Marathon history to average below five minutes per mile (4:58.6/per mile). His course record was broken five years later by Bill Rodgers who ran 2:09:55 in the 1975 edition.

Results

Ron Hill in 1975 Ron Hill 1975.jpg
Ron Hill in 1975

Men

PositionAthleteNationalityTime
1 Ron Hill Flag of England.svg  England 2:10:30
2 Eamon O'Reilly Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2:11:12
3 Patrick McMahon Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 2:14:53
4 Pentti Rummakko Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 2:14:59
5 Kalle Hakkarainen Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 2:19:42
6 Ken Moore Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2:19:47
7 Robert Moore Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2:20:07
8 Andy Boychuk Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2:21:06
9 Bill Clark Flag of the United States.svg  United States 2:22:17
10 Wayne Yetman Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 2:22:32

Source: [5]

Other notable participants included: Amby Burfoot (16th), José García (20th), John J. Kelley (63rd), John A. Kelley (163rd) [5]

Women

PositionAthleteNationalityTime
1 Sara Mae Berman Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:05:07
2 Nina Kuscsik Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:12:16
3 Sandra Zerrangi Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:30:00
4 Diane Fournier Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:32:00
5 Kathrine Switzer Flag of the United States.svg  United States 3:34:00

Source: [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marathon</span> Long-distance running event of 42.195 kilometres

The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42.195 km, usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Marathon</span> Worlds oldest regularly run marathon

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics. The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events. It is one of six World Marathon Majors. Its course runs from Hopkinton in southern Middlesex County to Copley Square in Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald MacDonald (athlete)</span> Canadian long-distance runner

Ronald John MacDonald was a Canadian runner, best known as the winner of the second Boston Marathon, in 1898. He later became a successful physician in Nova Scotia.

Ellison Myers Brown, widely known as Tarzan Brown, a direct descendant of the last acknowledged royal family of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island, was a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon in 1936 (2:33:40) and 1939 (2:28:51) and 1936 U.S. Olympian. He ran the marathon in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and also qualified for the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were ultimately canceled due to the outbreak of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John J. Kelley</span> American marathon runner

John Joseph "Johnny" Kelley was an American long-distance runner who won the 1957 Boston Marathon and the marathon at the 1959 Pan American Games. He was also a member of the United States Olympic teams of 1956 and 1960, competing in the marathon. He was often dubbed "Kelley the Younger" to avoid confusion with Johnny Kelley, winner of the 1935 and 1945 Boston Marathons; the two men were not related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Kelley</span> American long-distance runner

John Adelbert Kelley was an American long-distance runner who twice represented his native country at the Summer Olympics, in 1936 and 1948, and competed in the Boston Marathon over 50 times, winning in 1935 and 1945. He was often dubbed "Kelley the Elder" to avoid confusion with John J. Kelley, winner of the 1957 Boston Marathon; the two men were not related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Hill</span> British long distance runner (1938–2021)

Ronald Hill MBE was a British runner and clothing entrepreneur. He was the second man to break 2:10 in the marathon; he set world records at four other distances, and laid claim to the marathon world record. He ran two Olympic Marathons, and achieved a personal marathon record of 2:09:28. In 1970, Hill won the 74th Boston Marathon in a course record 2:10:30. He also won gold medals for the marathon at the European Championships in 1969 and the Commonwealth Games in 1970. Hill laid claim to the longest streak of consecutive days running – every day for 52 years and 39 days from 1964 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathrine Switzer</span> German-born American runner (born 1947)

Kathrine Virginia Switzer is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Ryan (athlete)</span> American long-distance runner

Michael J. Ryan was an American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was a distance runner and competed in the marathon for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics, but did not finish either race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobbi Gibb</span> American marathon runner (born 1942)

Roberta Louise Gibb is an American former runner who was the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon (1966). She is recognized by the Boston Athletic Association as the pre-sanctioned era women's winner in 1966, 1967, and 1968. At the Boston Marathon, the pre-sanctioned era comprised the years from 1966 through 1971, when women, who under AAU rules could not compete in the Men's Division, ran and finished the race. In 1996 the B.A.A. retroactively recognized as champions the women who finished first in the Pioneer Women's Division Marathon for the years 1966–1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Mutai</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds, though the time was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark.

Samuel Alexander Mellor Jr. was an American long-distance runner who won the 1902 Boston Marathon and competed in the marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Brignolia</span> American long-distance runner

Lawrence Joseph Brignolia, sometimes Brignoli, was an American long-distance runner and sculler of Italian descent. He won the third running of the Boston Marathon, in 1899. A 161-pound (73 kg) blacksmith, he remains the heaviest person ever to claim victory in the event. He was the only runner to finish each of the first three Boston Marathons, and one of two runners who participated in each of the first four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Boston Marathon</span>

The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors series to be held in 2012. A total of 22,426 runners started the race. The competition was held in hot running conditions, reaching 88 °F (31 °C) that afternoon, and some of the 27,000 registered runners opted to take up the organizers' offer to defer their entry until the 2013 race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jock Semple</span> Physical therapist and sports official

John Duncan Semple was a Scottish-American runner, physical therapist, trainer, and sports official. In 1967, as a race official for the Boston Marathon, he repeatedly assaulted 20-year-old marathon runner Kathrine Switzer and knocked down her coach when he tried to protect her. Switzer was officially entered in the race in accordance with the Boston Marathon's rule book, which at that time made no mention of sex. Semple subsequently claimed that amateur rules banned women racing for more than 1.5 miles (2.4 km). He subsequently oversaw implementation of qualifying times in 1970 and, in response to lobbying and rule changes by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the implementation of a separate women's race in 1972.

The 2013 Boston Marathon was the 117th running of the annual marathon race in Boston, United States, which took place on April 15, 2013. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), it hosted the second of the World Marathon Majors to be held in 2013 with over 23,000 runners participating. Lelisa Desisa won the men's race with a time of 2:10:22, and Rita Jeptoo won the women's with a time of 2:26:25. Hiroyuki Yamamoto won the men's wheelchair race in 1:25:32 and Tatyana McFadden won the women's in 1:45:25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Boston Marathon</span> 2014 athletic marathon

The 2014 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday, April 21. It was the 118th official running of the Boston Marathon, traditionally held on Patriots' Day. The race is organized by the Boston Athletic Association, and has been happening yearly since 1897. On account of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, extra security measures were implemented. They started a safety committee which began meeting in January of each year, as well as had a multi-agency coordination center to provide a place for people to go who were in need of help during the course of the race. New laws included the Post Disaster Mental Health Act were implemented which provides mental health services for places after a disaster even if it is not considered extreme enough to be a Major Disaster. The 2014 Marathon had about 36,000 registered participants, second only to the 1996 race in number of entries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Boston Marathon</span> 2019 running of the Boston Marathon

The 2019 Boston Marathon was the 123rd running of the annual marathon race held in Boston, Massachusetts. It took place on April 15, 2019. The elite men's race came down to a sprint finish, which Lawrence Cherono won in 2:07:57. The elite women's race was won by Worknesh Degefa, who took an early lead and built up a large gap between herself and the other runners, in 2:23:31. The men's and women's wheelchair races were won by Daniel Romanchuk in 1:21:36 and Manuela Schär in 1:34:19, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Boston Marathon</span> 2021 running of the Boston Marathon

The 2021 Boston Marathon was the 125th official running of the annual marathon race held in Boston, Massachusetts, and 123rd time it was run on course. It took place on October 11, 2021.

References

  1. "(untitled)". Holyoke Transcript-Telegram . Holyoke, Massachusetts. AP. April 18, 1970. p. 12. Retrieved April 17, 2023 via newspapers.com.
  2. "History of the Boston Marathon". BAA.org. Boston Athletic Association . Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  3. "A Goodbye from Cool Running!". 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 Craig, Jack (April 20, 1970). "Hill Wins B.A.A. Marathon". The Boston Globe . p. 1. Retrieved April 17, 2023 via newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 "1970 results". bostonlog.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2022 via Wayback Machine.