Starting Line 1928

About Starting Line 1928

Starting Line 1928 is an oral history project documenting the lived experiences of female distance running pioneers

Publisher

Running Historians (Various)

Category

history · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Sept 2021

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

75 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   74 | Merry Lepper

   Merry Lepper didn't exactly set out to be a running pioneer. But somewhere along the way, she became the first known woman to finish a road marathon in the United States. In 1963, she finished the Western Hemispheres Marathon in Culver City, California, in 3:37. At the time, she didn't necessarily consider herself a pioneer—but in the years since, she's received long-overdue recognition for her accomplishment, and now recognizes that she clearly played a role in opening doors for the women who came after her.

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   73 | Mary V. Rosado

   Growing up the eldest of ten in East Harlem, Mary V. Rosado learned early that she liked to be in charge, and she later brought that drive to running. She took up the sport at Columbia Law School in the mid-1970s, starting in her old high school Converse before buying her first real running shoes. That led to the 1978 New York City Marathon, twelve more marathons, a 30-plus-year career as a civil litigator, and advocacy for masters women runners in major races. Elected a New York State Supreme Court Justice in 2018, she stays active on the USATF Masters Committee and regularly serves as Team Manager at the World Masters Athletics Championships, most recently in South Korea. Now retired and recovering from a June hip replacement, Mary is training to get back on the roads, inspired by how much more diverse running has become since her early days as a Puerto Rican runner who rarely saw anyone who looked like her.

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   72 | Dusty Rhodes

   The Boston 10K for Women celebrates its 50 th anniversary this year, making it one of the oldest women's road races in the country. But in 1977, when founder Dusty Rhodes dreamed up the event, no one could have predicted that it would endure for generations—not even Dusty. In her fascinating interview with Starting Line 1928, Dusty gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to create such a historic event. She discusses keeping her confidence in the face of adversity, creating space for elite and recreational athletes alike to shine, and adapting the race to changing times.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

86

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Starting Line 1928

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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