Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K

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A Short History of the Mini

On June 3, 1972, New York Road Runners staged the world's first road race exclusively for female participants, the 6-mile Crazylegs Mini Marathon. To understand how extraordinary this achievement was and to appreciate how far the Mini has come since then you must travel back to a time when distance running was a very different pastime than it is today.

In 1972, the "running boom" had not yet hit. Distance running was a fringe activity practiced by a few dedicated souls. The New York City Marathon had been run but twice, with a mere 55 finishers the first year (1970) and 164 the second (1971).

As marginal as distance running was among the population as a whole, it was even more esoteric as an activity for women. In most road races the number of female finishers could be counted on one hand. In fact, not a single woman finished the first New York City Marathon and only three crossed the line in the race's second running.

But by 1972 things were starting to change for women runners. In April, women were permitted to officially enter the renowned Boston Marathon for the first time. In June, President Nixon signed into law the landmark Title IX legislation, which mandated equal funding for women's sports programs that receive federal aid. In Munich in September, the women's 1500 meters was run for the first time at the Olympic Games. All the while, female participation in road races while still tiny compared to men's participationwas slowly, steadily growing.

Despite these significant inroads, many running events still did not officially recognize women, and plenty of peopleincluding Olympic officials believed that women were physically incapable of running long distances. In New York City, a small group of women and one man were determined to do something to change the public perception of women runners and open doors of opportunity for them. Nina Kuscsik, the 1972 Boston Marathon winner; Kathrine Switzer, who had finished that race wearing a number in 1967 despite officials' attempts to drag her from the course; and New York City Marathon co-director Fred Lebow, a champion of women's equality, decided to launch a women-only road race.

Lebow signed on Johnson's Wax as the race's sponsor. The company which made a women's shaving gel called Crazylegs had contacted him about putting on a women's marathon, but Lebow talked them into a more manageable 6-mile "mini" marathon, named after the miniskirt, then the height of fashion.

Lebow, Kuscsik, Switzer, and others recruited participants in schools, bars, and even among Playboy bunnies. The Crazylegs Mini Marathon drew 78 women a huge turnout for the time from all over the country. The race was won by Jacqueline Dixon of California in 37:02, with Kuscsik third and Switzer sixth.

Though the Playboy bunnies hopped off into the bushes after posing at the starting line, they generated enormous publicity. If the bunnies were an insult, real injury was added when Kuscsik and Switzer were asked to pose with their dresses hiked over their knees at a press event. (They refused.)

The Mini has been on the NYRR annual calendar ever since that historic first running. By 1977 participation had grown to 2,277; it was 5,807 in 1979. The event has been a model for mass-participation women's road races around the world. It has attracted the planet's best runners Olympians, World Champions, and world record holders and has been the site of several world-best performances. Winners have come from countries all over the world, including Australia, Canada, England, Kenya, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, and the United States.

The 2004 Mini was special in two significant ways. One, Circle of Friends: Uniting to be Smoke-Free joined as the event's title sponsor. Circle of Friends is an initiative dedicated to teaching people that support can make a difference to women in their attempts to quit smoking. Thousands of participants in the Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K showed their support for women who are struggling with tobacco addiction. Two, the Mini saluted American women runners aiming to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Athens last summer. The field included the country's top American female runners and an American-only prize purse. Deena Kastor, who went on to perform spectacularly in the Olympic Marathon, broke the tape in a sizzling 31:44.

This year, the Mini welcomes an international field of the world's best distance runners. As always, the Mini is an event for all women of all ability levels. The world's original women-only road race continues its tradition of celebrating all that women's running has to offer.

Nina Kuscsik and Kathrine Switzer, co-founders of the Mini, finished the race in 2002, on its 30th anniversary.

History in Photos
2005 Photos

As always, the Mini is an event for all women. The world's original women-only road race continues its tradition of celebrating all that women's running has to offer.