8/22/2023 0 Comments Download joan benoit samuelsonMaking her victory more impressive was the fact that she had been caught in a traffic jam before the race was to start and had to sprint 2 miles to the starting line and began the race at the back of the pack.Īlmost completely unknown to the world at the time she sent a quiet roar over the runners world. It was in 1979, as a senior at Bowdoin College that Joan Benoit burst onto the scene of competitive running when she entered, won, and set a women's world record of 2:35:15 at the Boston Marathon. ![]() She started running track at her high school in Cape Elizabeth Maine and continued with her career at Bowdoin College. Little did she know how much she would fall in love with it. Joan wanted to keep fit and get back in shape and so started running. It all started with a broken leg in a skiing accident. What a story and life she has to offer to those who want to be touched by her. Her name alone draws a sense of motivation and encouragement upon any runner. For details on how to tune in on race day, follow this link, and check out’s analysis of the course here.Joan Benoit Samuelson: An Inspiration for Us All Samuelson will be attempting her new age-group record in Chicago on Sunday, Oct. Every August, it draws an estimated 6,500 competitors and some of the world’s best distance runners. In 1998, she founded a 10K road race in Maine to benefit children’s charities, a race now known as the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race. In addition to all of her athletic accomplishments, Samuelson has two grown children, serves as a mentor to younger elite runners and advocates for the environment in her home state of Maine. If I feel good, I run hard if I don’t, I run easy.” “I don’t have any rhyme or reason to my training, except to run the way I feel on that particular day. When it comes to training in her 60s after decades of hard running, Samuelson says she keeps it simple. “I do what I can reasonably do,” she told Outside Magazine in a 2017 interview. She ran even faster two years later at the 2010 the Chicago Marathon, where she crossed the finish line in 2:47:50, setting a new 50 to 54 age group record for women. She also holds the 55 to 59 age-group record, which she ran at the Boston Marathon in 2013. Olympic Marathon Trials, Samuelson, then 50, was the oldest competitor, finishing in an impressive 2:49:08. Her phenomenal professional running career has spanned nearly four decades and includes marathon victories in Chicago, New York City and Boston.ĭespite injuries and the inevitable march of time, Samuelson continues to redefine what athletes can achieve as they age. At the 2008 U.S. In a sport known to be brutal on the mind and body, Samuelson has displayed remarkable resilience since her inspiring gold medal performance at the 1984 Olympics in the inaugural women’s marathon. Race director Carey Pinkowski says he’s elated to welcome back the legendary champion, who set an American marathon record when she won the event in 1985, a mark that stood for 18 years. “I have no doubt she will attack this new goal with the determination she’s known for, and she will surely inspire and motivate so many with her endless drive,” Pinkowski says.īernie Portenski of New Zealand, who died last year at 67, set the current world record of 3:01:30 for the women’s 60 to 64 age group in 2010. “Marathoning is more than ever a metaphor for life,” she told Women’s Running in a text message, adding that she is looking forward to sharing the experience with her daughter, Abby, and niece, Margaret, who are also running the race. She announced her decision to run this year’s marathon just a week before the race. Samuelson planned last year to chase the record in Chicago, but a knee injury forced her to withdraw. ![]() ![]() True to her unflagging competitive spirit, the 61-year-old will attempt to become the world’s first woman in her 60s to run a marathon in under three hours. Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1985 Chicago Marathon champion and one of the most revered American women distance runners in history, is set to compete in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday. Joan Benoit Samuelson To Race 2018 Chicago Marathon Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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