RACING THE WIND

The History of Wheelchair Racing at the Boston Marathon

The historic course of the Boston Marathon was forever changed on April 21, 1975. On that day Bob Hall of Belmont, MS became the first person to complete the famous road race in a wheelchair. Hall completed the course in two hours and 58 minutes. He thus collected on a promise by then Race Director Will Cloney that if he finished in less than three hours he would receive an "official B. A. A. Finishers Certificate."

After his historic race, Hall with the support of the Boston Athletic Association encouraged other wheelchair athletes to tackle Boston. The Marathon became the world's first major marathon to allow wheelchair racers to compete. The decision to include rollers in the race was met with much less controversy than the decision to admit women in 1972. In 1977, the wheelchair division at Boston received a boost from the New England Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Foundation. The Boston Marathon was designated as the site for National Wheelchair Marathon championship. The Spinal Cord Injury Foundation agreed to provide financial assistance to wheelchair competitors traveling to Boston.

1977 was also the year the first woman wheelchair racer completed the race. Sharon Rahn (now Hedrick) of the University of Illinois Wheelchair Track and Field Team completed the course in 3:48:51. Bob Hall competed in his second Boston that year, beating Utah's Curt Brinkman and lowering his course record to 2:40:10. On Heartbreak Hill, Hall was greeted with loud applause from thousands of spectators. Champion runner Bill Rogers slowed to extend an encouraging hand to Hall as they both tackled the hills.

For the next three years the number of wheelchair racers grew and their finishing times decreased. In 1980 Curt Brinkman was the first to finish in less than two hours with a time of 1:55:00. Sharon Limpert of Minnesota became the first woman to finish in less than three hours with a time of 2:49:04. She beat Karen Jacobs by a mere 10 seconds. In fact the first four finishers at the 1980 Boston all bettered the then existing "able-body" running record of 2:08:34.

In 1981, Candace Cable won her first Boston Marathon with a new course record of 2:38:41. Cable went on to win six Boston's in the 1980's. Jim Knaub a former nationally ranked pole vaulter from California won the men's title back to back in 1982 and 83. Knaub beat Florida's George Murray by just two seconds in 1982 and set a world record with a time of 1:51:31. In 1983 Jim Knaub became the first to complete the course in less than one hour and 50 minutes with a world record time of 1:47:10.

Throughout the early 1980's the wheelchair division began to attract more international athletes and in 1984 Adre Viger of Quebec became the first foreign champion. Viger credited his victory to his custom designed $1,400 chrome-alloy racing chair. Also in 1984, the Boston Athletic Association officially sanctioned the race and awards were presented to all the winners. In 1986 winners began to receive prize money thanks to backing from John Hancock Financial Services. $2,500 was awarded to first place in the men and women. 1986 champion Viger also received a $7,500 bonus for setting a new world record.

In 1987, a crash at the start caused a major pile up of chairs and sparked controversy about the inclusion of the rollers in the running race. Some Boston Athletic Association officials felt the crash was proof the rollers should not be part of the event. It was argued that the downhill start at Hopkinton was too dangerous for the growing number of racers. But Bob Hall and others argued the division should continue to race on the same day on the same course. In 1988 the division started behind a pace vehicle until the first uphill climb. The start was flawless and the racers continue to push the first mile of the course behind a pace vehicle.

Mustapha Badid of France beat out the largest field of racers to date (56) to win in 1988 and set a new world record. Candace Cable captured her fourth consecutive title and sixth overall. In 1989 the first five finishers all ran the marathon in less than one hour, 40 minutes. Denmark's Connie Hansen broke the previous world record women's time by more than eight minutes and the Boston record by 15 minutes.

In 1990 Badid became the first person to finish the course under one hour thirty minutes. Jean Driscoll competed in and won her first Boston Marathon. She along with teammate Ann Cody and defending champion Connie Hansen become the first women to finish under one hour 50 minutes.

In 1991 with 71 men and 10 women competing, Jim Knaub won for the first time in seven years. Driscoll captured her second victory and set a new world record with a time of 1:42:42. She received $26,000 for her championship performance. Knaub and Driscoll would win again in 1992 and 1993.

Two days before the 1994 Boston, Driscoll came down with food poisoning. Then on race day she faced a surprising lead by a young Australian named Louise Sauvage. But Driscoll managed to take the lead at Heartbreak Hill and set a new world record with a finishing time of 1:34:22. Heinz Frei of Switzerland, a carographer and six time winner of the Berlin Marathon set a new record for the men at 1:21:23.

In 1995 Bob Hall rejoined the racers to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his inaugural Boston. Hall finished 33rd in a race that was won by Franz Neitlespach of Switzerland. Driscoll won her sixth consecutive Boston but failed to set a world record.

In 1996 Jean Driscoll made racing history to become the first person to ever win seven consecutive Boston Marathons. Hanz Frei beat his countryman Neitlespach to take the lead for the men. Driscoll's winning steak was shattered in 1997 by a fateful accident. Her wheel caught in a trolley track, causing the chair to flip and her tire to flat. Louise Sauvage seized the opportunity to win her first laurel wreath.

1998's Boston ended with a dramatic finish between Sauvage and Driscoll. Just as Driscoll's name was being announced as the winner, Sauvage sprinted past to win by half a wheel. Both Driscoll and Sauvage shared a finish time of 1:41:19