Nina Kuscsik

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Nina Kuscsik (born January 2, 1939) is a retired female long-distance runner from the United States, who has participated in over 80 marathons. [1]

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She was the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon, which occurred in 1972. [2] Alongside Beth Bonner, Kuscsik became the second American woman to complete a marathon in under three hours, running a time of 2:56:04 at the 1971 New York City Marathon (Bonner did so in the same race with 2:55:22). [3]

Kuscsik is a former American women's record-holder for a 50-mile run, through her run of 6:35:53 in 1977 in Central Park, New York. [4] She continued running into her later years and was the first woman to finish the Empire State Building Run-Up in 1979, 1980 and 1981. [5]

Before she took up running, [6] she was New York State women's speed skating champion, New York State women's roller-skating champion, and New York State women's bicycling champion, all in the same year. [7] She started running because her bicycle broke and she needed another way of being active. [7] Kuscsik believes that running creates a sense of calmness that is applicable to other parts of life [8]

She was instrumental in influencing the U.S. Amateur Athletic Union, in late 1971, to increase its maximum distance for sanctioned women's races, leading to official participation by women in marathons, beginning at Boston in 1972. [9]

Kuscsik was the only woman to participate in the first New York City Marathon in 1970. She did not feel well and had to drop out without finishing. In the following year she was one of four female finishers.

In 1972 Kuscsik won the New York City Marathon. [10] That year Kuscsik, Pat Barrett, Lynn Blackstone, Liz Franceschini, Cathy Miller, and Jane Muhrke protested the rule of the Amateur Athletic Union that women marathoners had to start their race ten minutes before or after the men, which as implemented by the New York City Marathon that year meant that women had to start running ten minutes before the men. [11] [12] [10] The women protested by sitting down and waiting ten minutes while holding signs protesting the rule, before starting to run when the men started; they became known as the NYC Six due to their protest. [11] [12] [10] Ten minutes were added to their times. [11] The ten minutes’ difference requirement was dropped later in 1972. [11] [10]

Kuscsik is a mother of three. She raised her two sons and one daughter in South Huntington, New York, in a house she bought in 1965 with her husband at the time. [7]

In 2022, Kuscsik received the Abebe Bikila Award from the New York Road Runners, which is awarded for outstanding contributions to the sport of distance running. [13]

Marathons

YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
1972 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 1st (woman)3:10:26 [14]
New York City Marathon New York, United States1st (woman)3:08:41 [3]
1973 New York City Marathon New York, United States1st (woman)2:57:07 [3]

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References

  1. ↑ Rothlein, Lewis. "Here's looking at you." Women's Sports and Fitness, Oct. 1989, p. 3. Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A8156453/GPS?u=orov49112&sid=GPS&xid=2c6548cd . Accessed 7 October 2019
  2. ↑ "Nina Kuscsik". Distance Running. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 N.Y. Road Runners site (results archive accessed via "Runner Tools") Retrieved 6 May 2012
  4. ↑ "RRCA Hall of Fame Inductees 1980 - 1989". Road Runners Club of America. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "Nina Kuscsik". New York Road Runners. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Robinson, Roger. "Women's Running Pioneers Kuscsik, Gorman Honored". Runner's World. Rodale Press. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Butler, Charles (November 2012). "Sole SISTERS of 72". Runner's World.
  8. ↑ "Nina Kuscsik Goes the Distance". American Journal of Nursing. 78. June 1978.
  9. ↑ Butler, Charles (October 19, 2012). "40 Years Ago, Six Women Changed Racing Forever". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 ""Who says it is not the most feminine thing a woman can do?": The Feminization of Women's Distance Running". October 15, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "40 Years Ago, Six Women Changed Racing Forever" (PDF). Runner's World.
  12. 1 2 "Women who run". www.continental-tires.com.
  13. ↑ "Nina Kuscsik to Receive Abebe Bikila Award at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon". runningusa.org. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Boston Marathon History: Women's Open Champions". Boston Athletic Association. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Abebe Bikila Award
2022		Succeeded by
Incumbent


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