At Boston, around 50 men compete for the top spots but only 15 - 20 women compete for prize money. Some argue that the prize money for the second and third place women should instead be given to the fourth and fifth place men. Women racers argue that keeping prize money equal will encourage more women to compete. Some women wheelers point out that the number of competitors does not determine the quality of the athlete. The top women in a race often have faster finishing times than the majority of the men competing.
Women train as hard as the men and continue to set new world records.
Here are three elite women racers who have fulfilled their Olympic dreams. They each hope to inspire even more women to achieve their athletic best. Jean Driscoll Jean Driscoll is one of the top female marathoners in history. Driscoll has accomplished what no other person has done in the history of road racing. She has captured seven consecutive Boston Marathon titles and set five world records on the Boston course.