Gayle Olinekova

Gayle Olinekova (birth name Olinek; March 3, 1953 – November 26, 2003) was a marathon runner and bodybuilder from Toronto Canada.

Olinekova, whom Sports Illustrated nicknamed the "Greatest Legs To Ever Stride The Earth," challenged the perception of femininity and athleticism during a time period when Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on gender in school athletics, was first going into effect. Olinekova encouraged fellow female athletes to embrace a muscular physique by publicly declaring that strength is beauty.

Biography

Early life

As a child, Gayle wouldn't take the bus to school. She would race the bus on foot (even on the coldest of mornings) just for the chance to stay in her warm bed ten minutes longer. At the time, she had no dreams of becoming a world-class runner. In her youth, Gayle Olinek (only later changed back to Olinekova as it had been in Ukraine

But she trained too hard and contracted mononucleosis. In her own words, training "took longer than I ever expected. Injury and mononucleosis from overtraining with my first two coaches made me realize that my overwhelming desire and effort were not enough."

College Olinekova put sprinting on hold and used a scholarship

At the time of her death, she had been working as a chiropractor in Westlake Village. While there, she was said to have sometimes provided chiropractic services in exchange for fruit. New York, USA October 26, 1980 Marathon 2:36:12 Scottsdale, Arizona December 1, 1979