Stories: Bobbi Gibb
These photos were taken on assignment for Bandit Running to couple with a story by Sarah Gearhart.
To quote Sarah’s opening words: Before Katherine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor, there was Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb, the race’s original bandit. This is the story of one of the greatest pioneers in the sport who helped women get on equal footing.
In early 2022, my phone rang from a number in Rockport, Massachusetts. Being a Mass-native myself I thought it could be an old friend who’s contacts I might not have transferred over to my new phone. “Is this David? David this is Bobbi Gibb…”
In the summer of 2022, I spoke with Bobbi numerous times to coordinate the story for Bandit (linked above,) and then was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon with her at her home in Rockport. Our conversations covered running, politics, art, and the human spirit. She was kind, she spoke softly but when applicable, had a firm tone. I feel privileged to have spent that time with a true pioneer.
We met at her favorite coffee shop in town. I won’t disclose the location but here is the view from the back. I took this photo waiting for her to arrive.
We walked to her home and set up down in her basement, which is a converted apartment. Our first topic was her artwork, she showed me her paintings and sculpture - it felt like I was catching up with an old friend. It’s like for a moment I forgot who we were, and why I was there.
She then went upstairs and grabbed her newspaper clippings. We talked about her running and why she decided to run the Boston Marathon without a bib and how the media covered her race.
After she showed me her yard and garden, she asked if I wanted to get a shot of her running. She grabbed one of her pairs of shoes that had a couple small holes in them and did a few strides up the hill in front of her house.
By this point, our conversations were friendly and civil but subdued. After these strides I saw another depth to Bobbi.
We walked into town, she wanted to show me her favorite beach nearby. The conversation strayed to neuroscience and then civil service. We were all over the map but it all made sense.
I could tell she was at home here. I’d call Rockport the Cape Code for everyday people. There weren’t overwhelming tourists but there were the typical beachgoers. They didn’t phase her, they were background elements that were to be ignored.
She never changed from this outfit, despite the 85+ degree day she was never phased by the heat.
She offered to do one more set of strides at the beach. I say offered, but she seemed like she was going to do them anyway. No dynamic stretching, no warmup, no fuss. She was channeling another level of the sport that I strive to understand. On her running, she says there are days she’ll run in the woods for a few hours, and days where she’ll do nothing.
I’ll never forget this time. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. (Photo by Cecilia Hashim.)