50 Years Ago Today, Women Runners Stepped Into The Spotlight

Racing to the finish and beginning a new era

Women’s Races are Common Today, Not So in 1972 — Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU from Pexels

In April 1972, NYC Marathon director Fred Lebow got a call. Johnson’s Wax was introducing a new pink shaving cream made for women called Crazylegs. They wanted to sponsor the first women’s-only marathon and wondered if Fred and the NYC Road Runners Club could organize it.