IAAF leaders raised the women’s marathon during an IOC Programme Commission meeting for inclusion at the 1984 Games. These efforts were part of a slew of broader advocacy for the women’s marathon in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Advocacy efforts also extended beyond the marathon, with women athletes leading a lawsuit in 1984 to demand the inclusion of the women’s 5,000 m and 10,000 m at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Although unsuccessful, the IAAF acknowledged the lawsuit, stating that it demonstrated “the general strength of feeling for the increase of women’s events” (Pape, 2020).