History-making female marathon runner Nina Kuscsik dead at 86

Pioneering long-distance runner Nina Kuscsik passed away earlier this month at age 86, her family announced. 

Kuscsik passed away on June 8 from respiratory failure in Brookhaven, New York after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Kuscsik was influential in paving the way for women to compete in the Boston and New York Marathons before both races created women's divisions. 

In 1972, she became the first winner of the Boston Marathon's women's race. A year later, she repeated the feat for the New York Marathon.

Before Kuscsik's involvement with race organizers, women were discouraged, if not straight-up banned, from competing in the nation's premier long-distance races. 

Kuscsik retired from competitive running in 1984. However, she stayed being a trailblazer in women's sports helping add the women's marathon as an Olympic event. 

'Kuscsik changed the sport of running by breaking through the "Boys' Club" barrier and changing the rules so they included women. A humble but consistently excellent distance runner throughout the 1970s, she opened doors for future generations,' New York Road Runners said in a statement.

The organizers of the Boston Marathon also paid tribute to Kuscsik.  

'Nina was more than a pioneer, determined women’s running advocate, and celebrated icon within the sport. To us, she was a friend who will always be remembered for her kindness, joyful laugh, and smile,' the Boston Athletic Association said in a statement. 

'Nina held the distinct honor of winning the 1972 Boston Marathon and recognized the platform that came with that triumphant moment, inspiring thousands of women to reach their own goals and finish lines in the decades since.' 

Before Kuscsik was a long-distance runner, she was a New York state champion in speed skating and bicycling.