Little Known Boston Marathon Story from 44 years ago
From Walt Murphy. Shared with permission. Walt produces an info-rich daily ”This Day in T&F” newsletter. Contact him at waltmurphy44@gmail.com if you’d like to join his distribution list.
1978 – 17-year old high school senior Lynn Jennings, competing against the advice of her coach, John Babington (who completed 13 Boston Marathons in a row from 1968-1980), and the will of Boston Marathon race organizers, who had set an entry age-limit of 18, ran the race in about 2:46 (only a minute behind the winner, a time which would have placed third in the open women’s division and a record for her age group). Said Jennings years later, “I ran unofficially as an act of teenage rebellion. I didn’t drink and drive as an act of rebellion, instead I ran a marathon. I was too young for a number, my coach told me not to do it and I did it anyway. Not the smartest thing I ever did, but I was 17.“
Despite the concerns of some who thought that someone that young shouldn’t be running a marathon, it didn’t stop Jennings from going on to a Hall-of-Fame career that included three World Cross Country titles and an Olympic bronze medal in the 10,000-meters (Barcelona,1992).
Below is a home movie taken by Bill Robertson less than a mile from the finish. It shows the women’s winner, Gayle Barron (2:44:52) at 1:55, Lynn Jennings at 2:05 (in blue & white), and fourth-placer Kim Merritt (2:47:52) at 2:22.
In 1999, 21 years later, Jennings officially ran the Boston Marathon, finishing in 2:38. In the years since, she would go on to become an accomplished masters rower, winning a bronze medal in 2011 and gold in 2012 in the women’s grand master single scull event at the Head of the Charles Regatta.
