Lynn Blackstone
“I was just in the right place at the right time” is how Lynn Blackstone likes to color her participation in one of the pivotal events in the history of women’s running. While this may seem a vast understatement, what cannot go unnoticed is her decades-long love of running.
Lynn grew up in the 1940s, with parents who encouraged their three daughters and one son to stay active, whether that be in swimming or playing golf. This early love of sport and a sideline view of her future husband finishing long runs was the catalyst for Lynn’s own start in running.
“He’d come back from runs during the middle of winter and he’d be all aglow. I thought this guy must have something!”
Lynn (second from right) with Central Park Track Club teammates in 1972, including her husband, Dave (far right), Kathrine Switzer (bib W2), and Fred Lebow (far left).Photo credit: Central Park Track Club
She soon joined Dave on runs, often around the Central Park Reservoir, not far from their home in New York City. At that time, the running community was small but blossoming, and all the runners knew each other’s names. It was on one of those runs that Lynn and Dave met the legendary Fred Lebow, who was beginning to strategize the creation of road races in and around New York City. His enthusiasm for the sport saw no limits based on age, nor gender, and along with Kathrine Switzer and Nina Kuscsik, Lebow helped establish the CrazyLegs Mini Marathon. The 10-kilometer race was the world’s first women only road-racing competition and along with several dozen other participants, it was also Lynn Blackstone’s first road race.
The success of that race confirmed the thirst for events that included women as equal players, though the governing body of the sport at that time had not yet caught up. As autumn approached, women were allowed to enter the upcoming New York City Marathon, but required them to start ten minutes prior to the men. Unwilling to ignore the rule completely, a last-minute “sit in” was staged.
“Dave was running the marathon that year, and so I approached the starting line to give him something and Fred said, ‘Go over there and sit down.’ I did that and was given a poster.”The poster said, “Hey AAU this is 1972. WAKE UP!”
Along with five other women, Lynn sat as the starting gun went off, unmoving for the full ten minutes. Only then did she rise and begin to run. Her goal that day wasn’t to run the marathon distance, but merely to serve as cheerleader. But by the end of the day, the picture of the six women sitting at the starting line to protest the inequality was on its way to becoming one of the most famous, historic images in the sport. In turn, the rules were changed such that the 1973 marathon didn’t include a segregated start line.
Lynn’s interest in the marathon was sparked and she’d go on to run five herself, including a win at the Yonkers Marathon. Passionate about spreading her love of running, she joined Fred in helping to organize the first five-borough marathon in 1976.
Photo Credit: Andy Kiss
“I recall that the first meeting about making it a five-borough race was held in my apartment with Percy Sutton (then Manhattan Borough President). I then got a leave of absence from my job at the Rockefeller Foundation to work with Fred for a month, raising money to make it happen.”
Running threaded its way through her next decade, as she gave birth to two sons and continued to run through both pregnancies. Today, at age 85, Lynn still runs and is an active member of the Central Park Track Club, which she and Dave founded with 10 members in 1972.
“I run three to four days a week. The members of the club are all above my level, but to run with these whippersnappers, I have to tell you that I’m really inspired. I read about all these older women who are doing really well and I want to keep going. And you know, it just feels so good afterwards. If you’re down in the dumps, just get out and move.”
Note about the author:Johanna Garton is a Denver-based sportswriter, author, writing-retreat owner, and high school cross -country coach. She has written three books, including the running narrative All in Stride: A Journey in Running, Courage and the Search for the American Dream. She’s also a 23-time marathoner who’s never quite sure if there’s just one more in her legs. You can follow Johanna on Instagram at @johannagartonbooks, or visit her at johannagarton.com
