In which year did the Olympic Games first include a women's marathon? The first Olympic women's marathon was held in 1984.
The event debuted at the Los Angeles Games on August 5, 1984, after decades of debate about women competing in long-distance races. Fifty runners from 28 countries started, and 44 finished. Joan Benoit of the United States won in 2:24:52, ahead of Norway’s Grete Waitz and Portugal’s Rosa Mota.
The race helped establish the marathon as a major women’s championship event. Benoit made an aggressive move during the third mile and maintained her advantage despite hot August conditions. Switzerland’s Gabriela Andersen-Schiess also became widely remembered after completing the final lap in severe exhaustion.
The marathon had been part of the men’s Olympic program since 1896, but women’s participation in distance running expanded gradually. The 1984 debut therefore marked a major change in Olympic athletics, not merely the addition of another race.