About a year ago on Wikipedia, I read about Stamata Revithi, a poor Greek woman who ran the marathon at the 1896 Olympics, but was not officially recognized because women were not allowed to compete in the first games. According to some reports there was a woman called “Melpomene” (named after the Muse of Tragedy) who also ran, but some folks think this was just a nickname they gave to Revithi.
Border: http://dg-sama.deviantart.com/art/35-Art-Nouveau-Frame-Brushes-95563478