Arlene Pieper

Pictured above is Pieper in her race day attire on the day of her race

Arlene Pieper (18 March 1930 – 11 February 2021) became the first woman to officially finish a marathon in the United States at 29 years old and as a mother of 3 children when she finished the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in 1959 which includes an 8,000 foor climb to the 14,115 foot summit and a descent back down the same way. (Although known as Arlene Pieper at the time, she was born Arlene Val Richter and most recently before her death known as Arlene Pieper Stine.) Her daughter Kathie, 9, also ran in 1959 and became the youngest competitor as of 1959 to finish the half marathon race to the summit, but did not finish the whole marathon. Arlene also entered the Pikes Peak Marathon in 1958 but stopped at the summit, therefore being disqualified. After this disqualification, Arlene redoubled her training over the next year and prepared to run the full marathon. In an interview with Pieper's daughter Katherine, she stated that her mother's disqualification "got her all upset" and that Pieper quickly decided to begin training for the next year. In, 1959, women had the choice of a race to the summit or the full marathon up to the summit and down. That year Katherine Heard was first to the summit with a time of 5:17:52 but did not run down the mountain. Arlene reached the summit four minutes later, and finished the marathon with a time of 9 hours and 16 minutes which makes her pace per mile about 21 minutes and 13 seconds per mile. A few days later Pieper lost all her toenails due to the conditions of the race and her shoes. In an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette, Pieper stated "That mountain is something else. Once was enough."

Unlike other more publicized marathons such as the Boston Marathon that didn't allow women to compete until 1970, the Pikes Peak marathon did not have such restrictions. During this time, women were considered to be incapable of running a marathon due to a variety of reasons. For example, women were considered to be “physiologically unsuited for sporting activity” and women who participated in athletic activities were considered unattractive. Additionally, there were concerns as to what running would do to women’s reproductive capabilities and if it would interfere with them having children. The Amateur Athletic Union(AAU) was an organization in the U.S. that “governed all amateur sports” in the U.S. (except for the Olympics) and restricted women from competing in marathons. But with all this said, the Pikes Peak Marathon was not an AAU-sanctioned event (and a much less publicized race) meaning Pieper was able to run the race with no restrictions.

She did the marathon to promote the all-female gym she and her husband owned in Colorado Springs, called Arlene's Health Studio. In addition to owning this all-female gym, Pieper was known for wearing gold stretch pants and a purple top around town. She trained for a year, wearing tennis shoes she bought from a dime store. In addition to her shoes, Pieper also wore a white blouse tied in a knot and short shorts which is quite different from what marathoners wear today. Pieper also did not have access to the various resources that runners have today such as gels or gatorade provided at aid stations throughout races. In fact, Pieper ran her marathon with no food and only drank from a stream during her race. After spending four years in Colorado, she and her husband returned to California, where she had lived as a teenager and where they had run gyms for exercise guru Harold Zinkin. They were also acquainted with exercise guru Jack LaLanne and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arlene was unaware of the groundbreaking nature of her marathon until she was contacted by the President of the Pikes Peak Marathon, Ron Llegan, in 2009. Llegan began his search for Pieper in the early 2000s but found it difficult to find her due to her relocations over time as well as her 3 marriages. Llegan eventually ran an ad in a local newspaper offering a money reward to which Genealogist, Linda Vixie, took on the challenge and was able to find Ms. Pieper and was able to first tell her by phone that Pieper was the first woman to complete an authorized marathon. When Pieper was asked about her reaction when she found out about her accomplishment in an interview with WBUR, she stated “It just -- just blew me away-I said, 'I'm the first?". She served as the official starter for the Pikes Peak Marathon that year, and hung the Pikes Peak Marathon medal around the neck of the 2009 women's winner, who credited her win to Arlene's inspiration. Afterward Arlene attended the Pikes Peak Marathon every year until at least 2013 as part of the ceremonies.

Arlene died on February 11, 2021, at age 90.

Personal life

Arlene was married to Wallen Pieper, Eddie Garza, and Richard Stine, with all of those marriages ending in divorce. Arlene is the mother to 4 children including her daughters Katherine, Karen, and Linda, and her son Karl. Arlene also is survived by 4 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Honors and Legacy

After Pieper was informed about her accomplishment in 2009, she spent the next decade returning to Manitou Springs for the Pikes Peak marathon and was the official starter for each time she attended. In 2014, Arlene was named as one of the Heroes of Running by Runner's World. In 2016, Arlene was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, a group of women honored Arlene a week before the Pikes Peak Marathon by running up Pikes Peak while wearing white shorts, white hats and white shirts, which was the same outfit Arlene wore when she ran the marathon in 1959. In addition to her many awards, Pieper also unknowingly set the stage for many other female Marathoners such as Katherine Switzer who was the first woman to ever run the Boston Marathon, or Adrienne Beames who was the first woman to break the 3-hour barrier in the Marathon. Even though Arlene Pieper did not know the significance of her accomplishment, many see what she did as a statement of equal rights and a way of expressing her femininity.

External links

• Arlene's website