In the fall of 1972, the New York City Marathon organizer Fred Lebow contacted The New York Times. He told reporters to come to the start line of the race, then in its third year, promising a sight they would not want to miss.

The race would be the largest yet, with over 250 runners set to attempt the 26.2-mile course, all of which would be run in Central Park.

In the crowd were six women, front and center. They approached the start line and prepared to run in the first New York City Marathon in which women’s results would count.

Women had been barred from road races since 1961, as experts claimed distance running was damaging to their health and femininity. Some officials infamously warned that a woman’s uterus might fall out should she attempt to run such distances.