{"id":5184,"date":"2020-06-09T10:56:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T10:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsnewsforyou.com\/?p=5184"},"modified":"2020-06-09T10:56:01","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T10:56:01","slug":"bobbi-gibb-named-boston-marathon-grand-marshal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/?p=5184","title":{"rendered":"“Bobbi” Gibb Named Boston Marathon Grand Marshal"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roberta \u0089\u00db\u00cfBobbi\u0089\u00db\u009d Gibb Named Grand Marshal of the 2016 Boston Marathon<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

B.A.A. to Celebrate 50 Years of Women\u0089\u00db\u00aas Running at the Boston Marathon throughout Marathon Weekend<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

BOSTON \u0089\u00db\u00d2 The Boston
\nAthletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today that Roberta \u0089\u00db\u00cfBobbi\u0089\u00db\u009d Gibb
\nwill be the Grand Marshal of the 2016 Boston Marathon\u00ae on
\nMonday, April 18. One of the Boston Marathon\u0089\u00db\u00aas most recognizable
\npioneers, Gibb became the first woman ever to complete the Boston
\nMarathon in 1966, when she raced from Hopkinton to Boston as an
\nunregistered participant. At that time, women were not yet allowed to
\nofficially register for the Boston Marathon. Her successful finish at
\nthe 1966 Boston Marathon became a historic milestone in the women\u0089\u00db\u00aas
\nrunning movement.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u0089\u00db\u00cfThis year we are excited to celebrate 50 years
\nof women’s participation at the Boston Marathon, particularly honoring
\nBobbi Gibb and her pioneering run in 1966,\u0089\u00db\u009d said Joann Flaminio,
\nPresident of the B.A.A. \u0089\u00db\u00cfGibb changed the course of running history
\nfive decades ago, setting the stage for generations to come. Bobbi will
\nlead 30,000 runners, including more than 14,000 female entrants, on
\ntheir way to Boston on Patriots\u0089\u00db\u00aa Day this year.\u0089\u00db\u009d<\/p>\n

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At the age of 23, Gibb traveled from California
\nto her family\u0089\u00db\u00aas home in Winchester, Mass., arriving a day before the
\n1966 Boston Marathon. Waiting in bushes adjacent to the start in
\nHopkinton, Gibb jumped into the sea of runners shortly after the
\nstarting gun sounded, beginning her run to Boston. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 21
\nminutes, 40 seconds, Gibb became the first woman to successfully
\ncomplete the Hopkinton to Boston race, placing ahead of many male
\ncompetitors. Despite not being recognized as an official finisher,
\nGibb\u0089\u00db\u00aas drive to complete the race was a watershed moment in women\u0089\u00db\u00aas
\ndistance running history.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In both 1967 and 1968, Gibb returned to Boston
\nand again finished as the top woman. Gradually, the women\u0089\u00db\u00aas running
\nmovement picked up steam and – in 1972 – women were officially
\nrecognized as official entrants in the Patriots\u0089\u00db\u00aa Day race. In the years
\nsince 1966, more than 164,000 women have finished the Boston Marathon.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the 100th Boston Marathon in
\n1996, Gibb was presented an official finisher\u0089\u00db\u00aas medal for her runs in
\n1966, 1967, in recognition of her place in Boston Marathon – and
\nrunning – history.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u0089\u00db\u00cfNot only did Bobbi Gibb’s run lead to women’s
\nparticipation in marathoning, but it also proved that courage and
\ndetermination can lead to change,\u0089\u00db\u009d said Flaminio. \u0089\u00db\u00cfThroughout Boston
\nMarathon week we will honor Bobbi and women of the Boston Marathon.\u0089\u00db\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

During Boston Marathon week, the B.A.A. will
\ncelebrate many pioneers in the women\u0089\u00db\u00aas running movement, highlighting
\nstories of triumph and accomplishment. From the thousands of women
\ncharity runners to the six women who have active streaks of 25 or more
\nconsecutive Boston Marathons, women\u0089\u00db\u00aas running will be a key theme at
\nthe 120th running of the Boston Marathon.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Grand Marshal,
\nGibb will ride in a custom pace car provided by the New England Acura
\nDealers Association, the official automotive sponsor of the Boston
\nMarathon. Riding ahead of the lead pack, Gibb will signify that
\nthousands of runners will soon be coming down the course. The B.A.A.
\nhas reserved the grand marshal role as a position of recognition and
\nhonor. Last year\u0089\u00db\u00aas grand marshal was Dick Hoyt of Team Hoyt, while the
\n2014 Grand Marshal was four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the last 50
\nyears, Bobbi Gibb has reflected upon her 1966 run from Hopkinton to
\nBoston in many ways. Gibb has produced a booklet titled \u0089\u00db\u00cfTo Boston with
\nLove: The Story of the First Woman to Run the Boston Marathon,\u0089\u00db\u009d which
\nchronicles her experience. She has also authored a book titled \u0089\u00db\u00cfWind in
\nthe Fire.\u0089\u00db\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 120th
\nrunning of the Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 18, 2016,
\nand John Hancock Financial is the Principal Sponsor for the 31st consecutive year.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a
\nnon-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle
\nthrough sports, especially running. The B.A.A.\u0089\u00db\u00aas Boston Marathon is the
\nworld’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other
\nlocal events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round
\nrunning programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston
\nMarathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part
\nof the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with the international
\nmarathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. More
\nthan 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2016. The 120th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 18, 2016. For more information
\non the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Roberta \u0089\u00db\u00cfBobbi\u0089\u00db\u009d Gibb Named Grand Marshal of the 2016 Boston Marathon \u00a0 B.A.A. to Celebrate 50 Years of Women\u0089\u00db\u00aas Running at the Boston Marathon throughout Marathon Weekend \u00a0 BOSTON \u0089\u00db\u00d2 The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today that Roberta \u0089\u00db\u00cfBobbi\u0089\u00db\u009d Gibb will be the Grand Marshal of the 2016 Boston Marathon\u00ae on Monday, April…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}