Who was the first woman to run Bay to Breakers?
The first woman ran the Bay to Breakers race in 1940, Barbara "Bobbie" Burke was the first woman to participate in the race.
Burke signed up to run the race as "Bobby". Race organizers were reportedly surprised when "Bobby" turned out to be "Bobbie," but they allowed Burke to run because her boyfriend was Bay to Breakers three-time champion Ed Preston. Burke and Preston later married; their descendants still run the race today.
Women were not officially allowed to run in Bay to Breakers until 1971.
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