Hall of Fame Series: Bobbi GIBB
Bobbi Gibb
Roberta ("Bobbi") Gibb is a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon Women’s Division in the pre-sanctioned era, 1966, 1967 and 1968. She was the first woman to run and complete the Boston Marathon in 1966 at a time when it was believed that women were not physically able to run marathon distances and were not allowed to compete in events longer than one and a half miles. Bobbi finished ahead of two thirds of the runners in three hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds, changing the consciousness about women’s capabilities forever.
On the 100th anniversary of the Boston Marathon and the 30th anniversary of her first run, Bobbi was awarded a medal for her three wins and her name was inscribed with the other winners on the Boston Marathon Memorial in Copley Square. She was inducted into the Road Runners of America Hall of Fame in 1982 and into the TD Garden Sports Hall of Fame in Boston in 2011.
More than a trailblazer, Bobbi Gibb is a Modern Renaissance Woman in her intellect, pursuit of knowledge, interests, talent and accomplishments. She is an author of three books, Wind in the Fire, To Boston With Love and 26.2 Essays, a personal journey, all available on Amazon, which recounts her adventures in the two years from 1964 to 1966 when she trained for and ran the marathon. She has also worked as an attorney in intellectual property law, and as a neuroscience affiliate with Jerry Lettvin at MIT and currently with Dr. Robert H. Brown at the Angel Fund in affiliation with the Cecil B. Day Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Many know Bobbi as marathon runner, but few know her as an artist. Her life size bronze sculpture, "The Girl Who Ran," was unveiled on October 5, 2021 at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts and will be installed near the Marathon start line. Visit https://www.bobbigibbart.net/bronze to learn more about her artwork.
This episode is part of a Hall of Fame Series sponsored by eternalHealth, a woman-owned, run, and built Medicare Advantage health plan currently available to Massachusetts residents in Suffolk, Worcester and Middlesex counties. eternalHealth is a proud sponsor of the Boston Red Sox and the presenting sponsor for the David Ortiz Hall of Fame Day at Fenway Park.
In celebration of David Ortiz being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, eternalHealth is sponsoring the Warrior’s Day Off Hall of Fame Series beginning with Massachusetts legend Bobbi Gibb.
For information about Bobbi Gibb visit https://www.bobbigibbart.net/
To learn more about eternalHealth:
EternalHealth/David Ortiz Hall of Fame Limited Edition Collection:
https://www.davidortizhofcollection.com/
All net proceeds from the collection go to the David Ortiz Children’s Fund.
To learn more about the David Ortiz Children’s Fund: