The 1978 Avon International Marathon was the first edition of the
Avon International Marathon
The Avon International Marathon was an annual women's marathon event that was held at various locations from 1978 to 1984. Sponsored and organised by Avon Products, a beauty and household goods company, it was the longest distance race within the ...
, and took place on March 19, 1978, in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, in the United States. It was a women-only marathon which had been put on to showcase female talent over the distance (), which at the time did not feature for women at the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
. The race was sponsored by
Avon Products
Avon Products, Inc. ( ) is an Anglo-American multinational company selling cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care products. It is a multi-level marketing company based in London. In 2020, Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwid ...
, who had covered the traveling expenses for some of the world's best female marathon runners to take part. The race was won by
Marty Cooksey
Martha "Marty" Cooksey (born July 18, 1954) is an American former long-distance runner who competed in events ranging from 5000 meters to the marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), ...
of the United States, a relative unknown, in a time of 2:46:16.
Background
Inception of the Avon International Marathon
Although the men's
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
had featured at the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
since its modern inception in 1896, the women's marathon was not an established event at an international level in the 1970s. Some experts claimed that running the marathon distance, , was dangerous for women's health. Women began unofficially running in the
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
in the late 1960s, and one of the pioneers of the sport was
Kathrine Switzer
Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947) is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator.
In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. During her run, the race ...
, who ran Boston in 1967. She spent the subsequent years campaigning for the recognition of the women's marathon. In 1972, Boston officially allowed women to participate, and two years later the United States held a women's national marathon championship for the first time. As it gained prominence through the early 1970s, there were calls for it to be added to the Olympics, but there remained significant opposition, and the longest distance included for women at the
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...
in Montreal was
1,500 meters.
Switzer established the
Avon International Marathon
The Avon International Marathon was an annual women's marathon event that was held at various locations from 1978 to 1984. Sponsored and organised by Avon Products, a beauty and household goods company, it was the longest distance race within the ...
in 1978, a women only marathon, aiming to both create a pseudo women's marathon world championship, and highlight the growth in women's marathon running. The event was sponsored by
Avon Products
Avon Products, Inc. ( ) is an Anglo-American multinational company selling cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care products. It is a multi-level marketing company based in London. In 2020, Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwid ...
, and licensed by the
Atlanta Track Club
Atlanta Track Club is a non-profit, running organization for the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia, United States. It supports youth and adult running at all levels and hosts an elite team. The club created the AJC Peachtree Road Race.
At ...
.
Course
The race took place in the northern suburbs of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
on a two-lap course which started from the Avon Products building on Cotillion Drive,
Chamblee
Chamblee ( ) is a city in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. The population was 30,164 as of the 2020 census.
History
The area that would later become Chamblee was originally dairy farms. During the late n ...
. The route, which was described as hilly and not conducive to record setting, headed north up North Peachtree Road and Tilly Milly Road to Mount Vernon Place before turning west along Mount Vernon Road, reaching
Perimeter Center. The course then weaved south and north, along Peachtree–Dunwood Road, Ashford–Dunwood Road and Chamblee–Dunwoody road before returning to the start and finish area.
Runners
Switzer had initially hoped for a field of around 500 runners, but it eventually attracted around 200 entrants.
In order to ensure a high-quality field Avon, the race sponsor, covered the traveling expenses of the top twenty female marathon runners from around the world. The world record prior to the race was 2:34:47, held by
Christa Vahlensieck
Christa Vahlensieck (née Kofferschläger; born 27 May 1949) is a German former long distance runner and pioneer in the marathon for women. During her running career, from 1973 to 1989, she simultaneously achieved a world record in the 10,000 metr ...
of West Germany, who it had been hoped would take part, but she was committed to take part in the
1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Bellahouston Park on 25 March 1978. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 17 ...
. The second-fastest woman,
Chantal Langlacé
Chantal Langlacé (born 6 January 1955) is a French long-distance runner who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best in the marathon on two occasions.
Langlacé set a world best mark on 2 ...
also missed the race, as she had an
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
injury. Nonetheless, fourteen of the fastest twenty-four female marathon runners took part,
four of whom had personal bests quicker than 2 hours 40 minutes –
Kim Merritt
Kim Merritt (born May 22, 1955 in Racine, Wisconsin) is a former American long-distance runner who competed in the marathon. Her career coincided with the development of women's running in the United States and she was at the forefront of distanc ...
,
Manuela Angenvoorth,
Jacqueline Hansen
Jacqueline Hansen (born November 20, 1948) is a former long-distance runner from the United States who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best in the marathon on two occasions.
Biography ...
and
Miki Gorman
Michiko "Miki" Suwa Gorman (August 9, 1935 – September 19, 2015) was an American marathon runner of Japanese ancestry. Gorman did not begin running competitively until she was in her mid-30s, but rapidly emerged as one of the elite marathoning ...
.
Race summary

The race began at 1:00pm (
EST). A field of 186 runners started the race, which took place in warm and dry conditions, around , possibly peaking to .
A group of five runners broke away near the beginning of the race;
Kim Merritt
Kim Merritt (born May 22, 1955 in Racine, Wisconsin) is a former American long-distance runner who competed in the marathon. Her career coincided with the development of women's running in the United States and she was at the forefront of distanc ...
,
Leal-Ann Reinhart,
Sarolta Monspart
Sarolta Monspart (17 November 1944 – 24 April 2021) was a Hungarian orienteering competitor. In 1972 she became the first non-Scandinavian female runner to win the World Orienteering Championships. ,
Manuela Angenvoorth and
Julie Brown
Julie Ann Brown (born August 31, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, musician, writer, and director.
Early life
Brown was born in Van Nuys, California, the daughter of Celia Jane (née McCann) and Leonard Francis Brown. Her father worked ...
.
Merritt was forced to drop out roughly quarter of the way through the race due to an inflamed Achilles tendon. At the halfway stage, Brown, who was described by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''s Kenny Moore as "the most controlled of the leaders", took the lead and opened up a gap from the pack.
After
Marty Cooksey
Martha "Marty" Cooksey (born July 18, 1954) is an American former long-distance runner who competed in events ranging from 5000 meters to the marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), ...
, who had run a more conservative first half, moved into second place, around behind Brown, with Monspart and Angenvoorth behind her. Cooksey gradually closed the gap to Brown over the next and passed her around from the end. Cooksey held on to win the race in 2:46:16, a
personal best A personal record, or a personal best (abbreviated to PB), is an individual's best performance in a given sporting discipline. It is most commonly found in athletic sports, such as track and field, other forms of running, swimming and weightlifting ...
by over seven minutes. Brown collapsed before the end and had to receive medical attention, leaving Monspart and Angenvoorth to battle for second place; the pair finished just over five minutes behind Cooksey, the former taking second place by thirteen seconds.
Cooksey was a surprise winner; at the finish line, one of the race officials said "I don't know anything about her."
Roads were not closed for the race, and the traffic was heavy in places. Brown was forced off the road at least once because of the amount of traffic, despite attempts by the police on motorcycles to clear the traffic ahead of the runners. ''
The Atlanta Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merge ...
'' said that "Cars were bumper-to-bumper for miles around the Dunwoody area." This, along with the hilly nature of the course, was provided as part of the reason that the finishing times did not get close the world record.
Results
References
Bibliography
*
* {{cite book , title=Olympic Marathon: A Centennial History of the Games' Most Storied Race , last=Lovett , first=Charles , year=1997 , publisher=Praeger , location=Westport, Connecticut , isbn=978-0-2759-5771-1
1978 marathons
1978 in American sports
1978 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state)
Avon International Marathon
The Avon International Marathon was an annual women's marathon event that was held at various locations from 1978 to 1984. Sponsored and organised by Avon Products, a beauty and household goods company, it was the longest distance race within the ...
1970s in Atlanta
Marathons in the United States
Women's marathons
Women's sports in Atlanta
Track and field competitions in Atlanta