Bobbi Gibb to celebrate 50th anniversary with Boston Marathon Dedicating anniversary to ALS patients

– This year marks the 50th anniversary of Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb’s history-making marathon run as the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon. Gibb, who is training to run the 2016 Boston Marathon after a hiatus of several years, will dedicate her anniversary to those who no longer can run by raising funds for The Angel Fund for ALS Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding ALS research at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at the UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Gibb, who made history in 1966 by finishing the race as the first woman to cross the finish line, also completed ahead of two-thirds of the pack of 415 official starters. "In 1966, I ran to change people's beliefs about women,” Bobbi Gibb said. “Now I'm dedicating my 50th anniversary run to help those who can no longer run. My hope is to help to heal the world, starting with curing ALS, a devastating disease that has taken far too many people including one of my best friends." 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 had 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. Gibb hopes to raise $26,200 for The Angel Fund through a fundraising page which has been created for those who wish to recognize her accomplishments. You can contribute to Bobbi’s anniversary by going to Firstgiving.com/angelfund or if you would like more information you may call The Angel Fund for ALS Research at 781-245-7070 or go to the website at www.theangelfund.org.