New York Mini 10K a dearth of women's road racing competitions. The race's inaugural sponsor Johnson Wax (who were promoting a women's shaving gel called "Crazylegs") suggested a full marathon event (26 miles and 385 yards), but it was decided that a more manageable "mini marathon" race over 6 miles would be held. A total of 78 runners took part in the race, which was the world's first women-only road racing competition. The course of the road race begins near 61st Street on Central Park West and heads north, entering Central Park at West 90th Street. The route loops in a clockwise direction, turning
Marathon from the start at Windsor Castle to the royal entrance to the White City Stadium, followed by a lap (586 yards 2 feet; 536 m) of the track, finishing in front of the Royal Box. The course was later altered to use a different entrance to the stadium, followed by a partial lap of 385 yards to the same finish. The modern standard distance for the marathon was set by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in May 1921 directly from the length used at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. An official IAAF marathon course is 42.195 km (42