The Woman Behind the Race: How Nina Kuscsik Revolutionized Marathoning

Nina Kuscsik, a pioneering force in women's distance running and the first official female champion of the Boston Marathon, died on June 8 at her home in Huntington Station, Long Island, New York. She was 86.

According to her family, Kuscsik passed peacefully after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer’s and respiratory failure.

Kuscsik wasn’t just a competitor she was a movement. Before women were officially allowed to participate, she ran the Boston Marathon in 1969. Three years later, in 1972, she made history by winning the first sanctioned women’s division of the race. That same year, she also claimed victory at the New York City Marathon, a race she would win again in 1973.

Long before the world recognized women as distance runners, Kuscsik was helping to change the rules.

Her advocacy work behind the scenes with governing bodies helped break down limitations that kept women from racing more than five miles. Thanks in part to her tireless lobbying, American women were granted permission to compete in longer distances, including the marathon though initially only in “special cases.”

From Humble Beginnings to National Champion

Born in Brooklyn on January 2, 1939, Nina Louise Kuscsik grew up in a family of modest means. With few resources, she played in the streets and got into roller skating as a teen, often hitchhiking to rinks. Her athletic talent quickly shone through by 18, she traveled cross-country to compete in national championships in San Francisco. Over time, she collected state titles in roller skating, speed skating, and track cycling.

She also excelled in school, graduating high school at 16 and completing a nursing program at Brooklyn College soon after. Even as a student, she challenged outdated rules fighting for younger nursing graduates to be eligible for hospital roles.

Though she initially ran only as summer cross-training for skating, her passion ignited after reading Bill Bowerman’s Jogging. In 1968, inspired by a 31-year-old woman who completed Boston, she decided to try it herself. She ran unofficially in 1969, finishing in 3:46, and improved to 3:12 the following year. These early finishes are now retroactively recognized.

Kuscsik entered the first New York City Marathon in 1970 as the only woman, though she didn’t finish due to illness. A year later, she broke the three-hour barrier with a 2:56:04, placing second behind Beth Bonner a groundbreaking performance at the time.

Pushing for Progress

Although she shied away from the spotlight, Kuscsik became a determined force in changing the sport. In 1971, she presented proposals at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) convention that increased the maximum race distance allowed for women to 10 miles, and controversially permitted some to enter marathons.

1972 marked a turning point in her life and the sport. She won the first official women’s Boston Marathon with a time of 3:10:26. That summer, she co-created the world’s first women-only road race the Crazylegs Mini 6 Miles with Kathrine Switzer and Fred Lebow. In the fall, she claimed her first NYC Marathon win after protesting a rule that required women to start 10 minutes before men.

Kuscsik and others staged a sit-down at the start line and later challenged the rule in court.

Her actions helped dismantle misguided concerns over women’s health and endurance. “Nina was more than a champion she fought the hard battles to change policies,” said Kathrine Switzer. “She brought science, persistence, and heart to the fight.”

Thanks to Kuscsik and her allies many of them male runners who backed equality women in the U.S. eventually gained full freedom to race. Still, she faced societal resistance; occasionally, she was stopped by police simply for running alone.

That same year, she ran seven marathons and began a lifelong career of distance running. In total, she completed more than 80 marathons, winning Yonkers seven times in a row.

A Life of Impact

Kuscsik continued to place at major races, finishing second and third at Boston in 1973 and 1974. She served on the AAU’s women’s distance running committee for over four decades, chairing it in the early 1980s. Her leadership played a key role in the successful push to include the women’s marathon in the 1984 Olympic Games.

Now a single mother of three, working full-time as a nurse, Kuscsik still trained and competed. She ran her marathon personal best of 2:50:22 at the Women’s National Marathon in Minnesota in 1977. She also competed in Dr. Ernst van Aaken’s progressive all-women’s marathon in Germany in 1974 and won the Empire State Building Run-Up three consecutive times between 1979 and 1981.

Though the field kept getting faster she ran 2:57 in Boston in 1978 but placed 19th her passion never faded. She often said that running gave her mental clarity and physical freedom. In 1977, she tackled a 50-mile race and set a U.S. record of 6:35:53. That same weekend, she presented a paper at a scientific symposium.

While she preferred staying out of the limelight, Kuscsik was active in coaching circles, wrote for Runner’s World, and did occasional radio segments.

She kept biking, walking, and staying fit well into her senior years. She worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, valuing its close proximity to Central Park. She spent her final years on Long Island.

Honored by the Road Runners Club of America, National Distance Running Hall of Fame, and New York Road Runners Hall of Fame, Kuscsik often joked that accepting an award was tougher than running a marathon.

Nina Kuscsik left behind a legacy not just of medals and records but of fearless advocacy and a lifetime of pushing boundaries for women in sport.