1975 Boston Marathon

Boston’s Bill Rodgers, “The People’s Choice” and the runner most responsible for popularizing the marathon boom, stunned the largest starting field to date (2,121) with a course and American record of 2:09:55. What made Rodgers’s record run even more impressive was that he stopped five times — four times for water and once to tie a shoelace. West German Liane Winter established a world-best performance for women, shattering Miki Gorman’s course record in 2:42:24. The wheelchair division can trace its roots to this year, as Bob Hall successfully completed the course in 2:58:00. Race director Will Cloney promised to add this division in future years.