44 Women Pilots in Historic 1956 Air Race to Cuba

Forty-four women pilots landed in Marathon on May 18, 1956, as the final mandatory U.S. stop during the 7th All-Women's International Air Race. Flying 27 airplanes from Canada, the competitors raced against the clock before continuing to Varadero, Cuba.

Marathon served as the strategic refueling point for the international competition. Dr. Corey Malcom, lead historian at the Monroe County Public Library's Florida Keys History Center, documented the event in the library's historical records.