Bobbi Gibb to Attend 18th Annual Jimmy Kennedy Memorial Run for ALS, (the Squirrel Run XVIII) to benefit The Angel Fund

Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb, the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon, will be at the start of the 18th Annual Jimmy Kennedy Memorial Run for ALS, (the Squirrel Run XVIII), a 5-mile run, 2.5-mile fitness walk and family fun day which will be held on Saturday, June 13th at Pageant Field, Merrymount Parkway in Quincy. Gibb’s appearance at the road race, walk and family fun day will kick-off a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of her historic run in 1966. Until 1972, when the first women's division marathon opened, the Boston Marathon was a men’s division race; all the women who ran before 1972 were, under the AAU rules, unsanctioned runners, running in an as-yet-to-be sanctioned women’s division race. Gibb, who trained for two years to run the Boston Marathon, submitted an application in February 1966 to run the race, only to be told that women were not “physiologically capable of running marathon distances” and that under the rules that governed amateur sports set out by the AAU, women were not allowed to run more than a mile and a half competitively. Determined to participate, Gibb traveled from San Diego by bus to her parents’ home in Winchester, MA. The following day, Patriots Day, April 19, 1966, her mother dropped her off at the start of the 26.2-mile marathon for her history-making run. Gaining support along the way, from men and women alike, Bobbi was greeted by then-Governor John Volpe after crossing the finish line in three hours, twenty-one minutes and forty seconds, ahead of two-thirds of the pack of 415 official starters. “We are pleased that Bobbi will be on hand to officially start the race,” Rich Kennedy, Jimmy Kennedy’s brother and President of The Angel Fund said. “Her pioneer spirit and her determination to run the Boston Marathon have been the catalyst for countless runners over the past 50 years.” Proceeds from the Squirrel Run will benefit The Angel Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding ALS research at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at the UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Jimmy Kennedy lost his courageous battle with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in 1997 at the age of 31. Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are welcome to participate in the 5-mile run and 2.5-mile walk that begins with registration at 8 a.m. The 2.5-mile fitness walk starts at 9 a.m. followed by the 5-mile run at 10 a.m. Childrens’ races begin at 11 a.m. In addition to the race and walk, the day will be filled with entertainment for children, plenty of refreshments, and awards for competitive runners in all divisions for men and women. There will be trophies, gift certificates, and other awards, as well as raffle prizes. For registration information, or for further information please call Rich (Ratt) Kennedy (781) 383-6008, or email him at tytaylin@aol.com.