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PODCAST

Starting Line 1928

Running Historians (Various)

Starting Line 1928 is an oral history project documenting the lived experiences of female distance running pioneers

history running

All Episodes

01:08:24

58 | Deena Kastor

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/11/13

When you think about excellence in the marathon, the name Deena Kastor inevitably jumps to mind. After all, the 52-year-old held the American record in the distance for a whopping 19 years, setting it first in London in 2003, then bettering her own mark just three years later when she became the first American woman to run under 2:20. In fact, Kastor—a three-time Olympian, World Marathon Majors champ, World Cross Country medalist, and holder of national records from the 5K up to the 26.2—was drawn

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51:18

57 | Arlene Pieper Stine

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/10/23

Long before Roberta Gibb and Sara Mae Berman unofficially ran the Boston Marathon (1966 and 1969 respectively), Arlene Pieper Stine became the first woman to officially finish a sanctioned marathon in 1959, when she ran the Pikes Peak Marathon—ascent and descent—in 9:50:20 when she was 29. She was accompanied by twelve men and a horse. Pieper Stine ran in the men's category and was not given a special category or fanfare for her historic finish. She never ran another marathon and her pioneering

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01:29:15

56 | Yolanda Holder

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/10/09

Upon turning 50 years old, Yolanda Holder decided to do something different for her birthday. While others in her circle of family and friends opted for elaborate parties, expensive experiences or trips, or even purchasing long-desired goods, Yolanda, on the other hand, set out to walk 50 marathons in 50 weeks. She didn't just meet that goal—she crushed it, completing 66 marathons in 52 weeks. And she never stopped. Now 67, Holder has become one of the most accomplished ultra-endurance athletes in

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01:20:14

55 | Nina Kuscsik

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/09/25

Nina Kuscsik began running in the 1960s after discovering Bill Bowerman's Jogging while waiting for a bike tire repair. Born in Brooklyn in 1939, she was a natural athlete who became New York State champion in roller skating, ice speed skating, and bike racing in 1960. After taking a break to raise her three children, running reignited her competitive spirit. She unofficially ran the Boston Marathon in 1969 and 1970, then won it in 1972 when it first officially accepted women, finishing in 3:10:26

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46:14

54 | Lena Hollmann

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/09/11

Lena Hollmann began her running journey in Sweden, her native country. She started with the 800 meters until 1969, when women were allowed to run the 1500 meters as well. She was part of the Swedish National Track Team and was a national champion in the 1500 meters. Lena moved to the United States with her husband in the late ’70s and at first, ran for fitness and fun. Then, she began training seriously again, entering races, and seeing success. In fact, she was the top woman at the Philadelphia

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48:43

53 | Molly Barker

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/06/19

Molly Barker began running with her mother when she was 14 years old, when her mother was newly sober. Years later, it was on a run in 1993 when Molly herself realized she needed to stop drinking or it would kill her. That run inspired her to create a program for young girls to accept who they are, with grace and pride, and celebrate themselves. She launched Girls on the Run in 1996 at a site in North Carolina with 13 girls; it quickly grew and now has sites in all 50 states and in Canada. Molly

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53:24

52 | Kathrine Switzer

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/05/15

Say the name Kathrine Switzer and many people aren’t sure who she is. Say, “the woman who was accosted during the 1967 Boston Marathon because she was running in an event for men only,” and it’s an image people recognize and remember. Kathrine had no idea what a historic run Boston would be; it became the spark for her life path. She went on to work at Avon and develop Avon Global Women’s Running, then advocated to have the women’s marathon included in the Olympics. She has also written books,

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01:10:54

51 | Marge Hickman

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/04/17

Marge Hickman can’t sit still. If she’s not running, she’s hiking, driving around the country in her RV, or engaging in another form of movement. Since she was a kid, the ultra running phenom has always felt an insatiable drive to prove herself. And that drive has taken her places few in the running community have dared to go. In 1989, Hickman completed the grand slam of ultra running, meaning she finished four of the oldest 100-mile races in a span of 10 weeks. She is one of only 59 women who have

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30:56

50 | Women's Running Stories: Jen Kanyugi

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/03/13

This month, we’re bringing you something a little bit different in this feed: an episode of Women’s Running Stories, a podcast hosted by Cherie Louise Turner. This episode features Jen Kanyugi, who last year ran her 20th consecutive Boston Marathon. And yes, after this was recorded, she did indeed finish the race! Jen's journey to get to this point is about this one event, and so much more. In this time, Jen went from not running more than 20 minutes on the treadmill to being a steady presence at

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01:08:38

49 | Henley Gabeau

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/02/13

In the mid-1970s, Henley Gabeau didn’t set out to become an accomplished distance runner. Instead, her athletic journey started as a simple desire to keep up with her 12-year-old daughter while training on the track. Henley quickly noticed there weren’t many spaces dedicated to women, so she and a group of like-minded athletes formed RunHERS, one of the first women’s running clubs in the United States. She went on to become the first female president of the Road Runners Club of America and then the

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01:06:06

48 | Dr. Joan Ullyot

Starting Line 1928 ·

2025/01/16

Dr. Joan Ullyot, the “fastest physician marathon runner," paved the way for women runners across the world, proving by example that women should not be counted out when it comes to long distances. Ullyot raced in 80 marathons, winning ten of those along with the masters division in the Boston Marathon in 1984. Her book “Women’s Running,” published in 1976, and her in-depth studies as an exercise physiologist made the case that women deserve the equal opportunity to run competitively; her efforts

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01:16:20

47 | Sara Mae Berman

Starting Line 1928 ·

2024/12/12

In 1969, 32-year-old Sara Mae Berman was the first woman to cross the finish line in the Boston Marathon. She did it again in 1970 and 1971. But women weren’t allowed to enter officially, so her times—3:22:46, 3:05:08, and 3:08:30, respectively—were unofficial. "All we ever wanted, us early women, was to be allowed to run the distance, and we weren't in any bloodthirsty competition with each other. We just wanted to be able to run the distance and improve our times," she says.

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46:30

46 | Jessica Louis, Amber Henderson, Angel Tadytin,...

Starting Line 1928 ·

2024/11/14

Native people, including women, have been running over these lands since long before anyone organized a major marathon. Yet all too often, with notable exceptions like past guest Patti Catalano Dillon, they aren’t represented at modern races. Changing that is the key goal of Native Women Run, an organization that Verna Volker launched in 2018. At first, it was an Instagram page; now, it’s a non-profit that creates space for and elevates the stories of Native women who run. This year, NWR brought

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49:06

45 | Junko Kazukawa

Starting Line 1928 ·

2024/10/10

Junko Kazukawa is a Japanese-born women's ultra running pioneer best known for having finished the Leadville 100-mile race 10 times. Junko is a two-time breast cancer survivor with more than three decades of experience in health, fitness, and training. She currently works as an ultra endurance coach with Boundless. Junko lives and trains in Denver, Colorado, and has completed 24 100-mile trail races so far, including Leadville, UTMB, Mt. Fuji, Ultra Fiord in Patagonia. She's the first female to

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01:40:34

44 | Doris Brown Heritage

Starting Line 1928 ·

2024/09/12

Doris Brown Heritage has always had a need to run. During a career that spanned roughly twenty years, Brown Heritage held every woman’s national and world record from the 440 yards to the marathon. In 1966 she became the first woman to run an indoor sub-five-minute mile in 4:52. Ten years later, on a lark with little training, she won her first marathon, the 1976 Vancouver International Marathon in 2:47:35 at the age of 34. She is a two-time Olympian (1968, 800m, 1972 1500m) and is a living legend

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01:05:36

43 | Laurel James

Starting Line 1928 ·

2024/08/08

“Life is a challenge. And if you can’t enjoy that, you’re in trouble.” Laurel James, founder of the Seattle-based running retailer Super Jock ‘n Jill and mastermind behind the 1984 U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials race, does not mince words. James entered the nascent running-retail scene in 1975, and quickly cemented herself as a visionary female entrepreneur, race director, and community pillar in the running world and beyond.

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46:34

42 | Sue Parks

Starting Line 1928 ·

2024/01/25

Sue Parks has had a storied career as an athlete and coach who continues to break barriers in the NCAA. Today, Sue is the director of cross-country and track and field at her alma mater, Eastern Michigan University. She’s one of the few women leading a track and field program at the Division 1 level. Years before she became a director, Parks was blazing her own path as one of the first women track stars in her home state. Her most memorable race was against Olympic gold medalist Madeline Manning

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01:46:26

41 | Patti Catalano Dillon

Starting Line 1928 ·

2023/12/21

In 1980, Patti Catalano (now Patti Catalano Dillon) became the first American woman to break 2:30 in the marathon. She has held American and world records at various distances—including the 5 mile, 10 mile, 10k, 15k, 20k, 30k and half marathon, and she has been inducted into the RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame. She won the Honolulu Marathon four times and finished second at the Boston Marathon three times, in 1979, 1980 and 1981.

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01:18:23

40 | Janet Romayko

Starting Line 1928 ·

2023/11/30

Janet Romayko is a veteran of 49 marathons and countless triathlons including the half Ironman distance. But what she is most thrilled with is her 50 consecutive finishes at the Manchester Road Race in Manchester CT, a 4.748-mile race held on Thanksgiving Day started in 1927. She loves running Manchester. “It’s very special to me. My family grew up there, are buried there. It’s a very sweet feeling I have for the town and the community. It’s truly coming home for me. It’s a wonderful experience,”

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01:34:46

39 | Cheryl Toussaint

Starting Line 1928 ·

2023/11/16

Cheryl Toussaint is the meet director of the Colgate Women’s Games and an Olympic silver medalist She grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and began running with the Atoms Track Club at age 13. There, Coach Fred Thompson nurtured her athletic talent—and encouraged her academically. Cheryl earned an academic scholarship to New York University and kept training with the Atoms, eventually making the Olympics in 1972; she competed in Munich in the 800 meters and 4x400 relay, where she helped the

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59 results

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