This Day in Track & Field-October 1, Dick Hart breaks Six Mile AR (1955), Nina Kuscsik wins 1972 NYC Marathon (1972), Jenn Suhr clears 5.01 meters (2016), Sam Kendricks wins Doha PV (2019)battle! by Walt Murphy News and Result Services

This Day in Track & Field–October 1 

1885—Great Britain’s William Barry raised his pre-IAAF World Record in the Hammer Throw to 119-0 (36.27) in New York.

1955—Dick Hart, the 1955 U.S. Champion at the distance, ran 29:33.6 for six-m les in Swarthmore,PA , to take almost a full minute off the previous American Record of 30:33.4, which was set by Curtis Stone in 1952.

1972—The 3rd NY City Marathon was held in NY’s Central Park. The winners were Sheldon Karlin (2:27:52), a student at the University of Maryland, and Nina Kuscsik (3:08:41), one of the early pioneers of women’s distance running. 53-year ol- Ted Corbitt, the “Father of Long Distance Running”, finished 18^th (2:47:48).

   Brooklyn native Kuscsik, who ired to start running in 1954 after hearing about Roger Bannister’s historic sub-4 minute mile, was one of six women who went to the starting lane outside the Tavern on the Green.

    Officials from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) had ruled that the women had to start running 10 minutes before the men went on their way. Encouraged by race co-founder (with Vince Chiapetta) Fred Lebow, who felt that idea was discriminatory, Kuscsik, along with Lynn Blackstone, Jane Muhrcke (her husband Gary won the 1^st NY City Marathon), Liz Franceschini, 17-year old Pat Barrett, and Cathy Miller, most holding signs of protest, sat cross-legged at the start for those 10 minutes before beginning their run along with the men! The move drew wide attention in the NY press, and the rule was rescinded the following year. (Lebow had called the NY Times the day before to suggest they cover the protest—a picture of the six women sitting at the start was prominently displayed in the sports section the next day—see Sole Sisters link to view photo).

    The event was the subject of one of ESPN’s “30 for 30” Podcasts (Six Who Sat—see link below)

    Ironically, the elite women at the NY City Marathon (and other races) have had a separate start in recent years, but for all the right reasons.

   Kuscsik, already a member of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame,  was inducted into the NY Road Runners Hall of Fame in 2012. She talks about the 1972 race here.

Starters/Finishers-278/185; Men-272/183, Women-6/2

NY Times

Sole Sisters (Includes start photo): https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20966306/sole-sisters-of-72/