Dorothy Doolittle is a former track and field athlete and coach from Elgin, Texas. She began her running career while she was a student at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. At the time, the longest distance women were allowed to run was 800 meters. After graduating in 1969, Doolittle began running marathons, making her one of the first women to do so. At one time, she ranked fifth in the nation and sixth in the world. Her last marathon was the inaugural Chicago Mayor Daley Marathon (now the Bank of America Chicago Marathon) on September 25, 1977. With a time of 2:50:47, she became the first woman to win the race.    By the mid-1970s, Doolittle also began a career in coaching. She served as the head coach for women's track and field teams at both high school and collegiate levels, including Elgin High School, McGregor Middle School, Austin Westlake High School, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Houston, Stanford University, and the University of Tennessee. Doolittle also coached multiple US Olympic teams in track and field events.    Doolittle currently lives in Austin.