Milestones
1977
The first year of the race, known as the Bonne Bell Mini Marathon, draws 2,231 women. Only 200 were expected.
High school senior Lynn Jennings, 17, wins the first race in a time of 34:31.
1978
Future Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson wins the race with a time of 33:16, setting the American record.
The race moved to the Boston Common and the course was certified on its present route.
1979-1981
First place finishers Margaret Groos (1979), Patti (Lyons) Catalano (1980), and Jan Merrill (1981) set American records on the course.
1983
Almost 9,000 women participate in the race, making it the largest women’s sporting event in the world.
1985
Tufts Health Plan becomes the title sponsor of the race, enhancing the event’s focus on physical fitness and women’s health. The first day-long Celebration of Health and Fitness for the whole family is held. The Celebration of Health and Fitness includes a 1K Walk for Kids, Pre-Race Aerobics, and a Post-Race Stretch, as well as a sports massage, body composition testing, cholesterol screenings, and literature distribution on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
1988
Twenty-five-year-old Anne Hannam of New Zealand sets the current course record with a time of 31:38.
1989
Kids get into the act with the first 1K Fitness Walk for children.
1993
At the age of 93, Ruth Rothfarb of Cambridge, MA, crosses the finish line to become the oldest woman to complete the 10K.
Wheelchair race and six-time Boston Marathon winner Candace Cable of Truckee, CA, sets the course record in her category with a time of 27:16.
1994
The number of women participating begins to climb again, marking a resurgence for the race.
USA Track & Field selects the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women as the National 10K Championship Race. Tufts Health Plan will hold this designation for 12 of the next 13 years.
1995
Lynn Jennings places third in her final Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women performance. Her career at the Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women included six first-place finishes, five second-place finishes, and two third-place finishes.
1998
Libby Hickman (31:56) of Fort Collins, CO, won, beating Kenyan Catherine Ndereba, who had been favored to break the course record.
2000
U.S. Track & Field selects the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women as the National 10K Championship Race for the 7th year in a row.
Tufts Health Plan 10K again held the title of the largest women's-only 10K in the nation for the fourth consecutive year with 6,537 registered runners.
2002
In her debut 10K race, Marla Runyan beats Kenya’s Teresa Wanjiku to capture the USA National 10K Championship at the 26th annual Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women in the closest finish in history. Runyan, the USATF National 5K and U.S. outdoor 5,000 meter champion, finished at 31:46, edging Wanjiku by two-tenths of a second.
2007
The Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women features one of the strongest elite fields athletes ever assembled. Olympic Bronze Medalist in the marathon and 2007 USA Women’s Marathon Champion Deena Kastor defeated a deep field of over 50 elite runners including two-time Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women Champion Katie McGregor to win the race and the USATF Women’s 10K Championship title with a time of 32:01.
