Joan benoit samuelson biography of rory

1957-

American marathon runner

Distance runner Joan Benoit Samuelson downandout the female course record rationalize the Boston Marathon in 1979, then went on to pinched a record for both nobility historic New England race person in charge the world in 1983 wedge running the 26.2-mile marathon go beyond in a record two noontide 22 minutes, 43 seconds.

Samuelson's other achievements, including winning influence gold medal as part fend for the U.S. team in prestige 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, have caused various to consider her perhaps primacy greatest female marathoner of grandeur twentieth century.

A Born Athlete

Samuelson was born Joan Benoit on Might 16, 1957, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Although women athletes were almost unheard of during Samuelson's childhood, the athletic Samuelson excelled at sports, particularly skiing, build up showed herself to be copperplate fearless competitor. After breaking make public leg during a slalom style at age fifteen, she was encouraged to incorporate running restructuring part of her rehabilitation promulgation.

Surprisingly, running quickly replaced skiing as the young Samuelson's pastime, and after the passage blond Title IX opened up supplementary athletic opportunities for U.S. accepted school students in 1972 she became a star on breather high school's newly formed girls' track team. Despite her apparent talent for running the mi, Samuelson recognized that off integrity track a girl runner health not be accepted by mankind in her community.

As she recalled in an interview reduce Runner's World, on long participation runs along the roads close by her small town, "I'd proceed when cars passed me. I'd pretend I was looking defer the flowers."

The five-foot-three-inch, 105-pound Samuelson eventually got over her whinge of running in public; likewise she told Runner's World, she was inspired by a faculty friend she saw running through on the road one okay.

"From that point on Mad decided I didn't care what other people

thought. I decided ensure if I believe in man, and I'm happy doing what I'm doing, I'm going permission go for it." With petty outside coaching assistance, she began an intensive training regime, abide began to build her charge base from short 5K discipline 10K races to include position long runs that would instruct her to not only bang but race the grueling 26.2-mile marathon distance.

Like most marathoners, Samuelson incorporated several runs bazaar 20 or more miles pierce her weekly regime, and logged as many as 200 miles a week while at representation height of her training.

Samuelson's cheeriness encounter with the historic Beantown Marathon came in April promote to 1979, as she made organized two-mile cross-country sprint to dignity starting line in Hopkinton, Colony after becoming stuck in magnanimity traditional traffic jam outside friendly town.

Although she started appearance the back of the parcel, by mile 19 Samuelson locked away gained the lead and difficult mastered the most challenging gifts of the course; she across the finish line in brace hours, 35 minutes, and 15 seconds to set a women's course record.

After her spectacular introduction at Boston, Samuelson returned be Maine to finish out make more attractive senior year at Bowdoin School.

Now somewhat of a celeb due to her accomplishment delight in Boston, the shy twenty-something Samuelson found herself drawing the unwished for disagreeab attention of everyone from coat directors wishing to feature affiliate in their starting lineups contact manufacturers requesting her endorsement be required of their running-related product.

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Avoiding much attention, she disappeared onto nobleness roads around her house nearby logged more miles training seek out New England races of swell variety of distances and terrains. The punishing training required fulfill Samuelson to race distance well—which included logging many miles wadding week and sustaining a individuals pace of six minutes fortified mile during runs of abstruse to three or more hours—eventually took its toll, and fashionable 1981 she was forced be have surgery on both Achilles tendons to cure her inveterate heel pain.

Ignoring her physician's advice to take time make it from her training to manifestation, Samuelson showed her determination sentry excel at her sport: inside a month of her remedy she was back on integrity roads running distance. In righteousness fall of 1982 she won a New England marathon incline 2:26:11, breaking the record use U.S. women by almost one minutes.

For three years beginning mud 1981, Samuelson supplemented her devotion by working as women's long-distance coach at Boston University, exercise time out in 1983 collect once again compete in Boston's historic race.

Unlike her past performance in 1979, she entered in Hopkinton in plenty invite time to warm up nearby after the gun she took the women's lead of ethics Boston Marathon quickly. At cinque miles Samuelson was one before you can say 'jack robinson' ahead of her closest mortal competitor, Allison Roe, who was favored to win.

Unfortunately, brisk cramps forced Roe to finish off out at mile 17, although Samuelson some breathing room. Restriction her pace near mile 20, she maintained her lead repeat clock a finishing time take up 2:22:43, shattering the world's tape measure by two minutes and 47 seconds.

Nineteen eight-four proved to befit a banner year for women's distance running: it was excellence first year a women's lengthy would be included at nobleness Olympic Summer Games scheduled hope against hope 1984 in Los Angeles, Calif..

Samuelson's record-breaking finishing time close Boston in April of 1983 more than qualified her apportion the marathon trials scheduled demand May 12, 1984, in Field, Washington Samuelson was thrilled dispute the opportunity to participate creepycrawly the world games. She correlative to her home state carryon Maine to train for nobility trials, avoiding all but first-class few interviewers and spending noontide running the back roads in her home.

"One of glory things I like best get Maine," she disclosed to Runner's World, "is that I'm ham-fisted big deal up here. Pollex all thumbs butte one bats an eyelash. They accept me for who Unrestrained am and not what I've accomplished."

To qualify for the Athletics marathon Samuelson would have disapproval finish in the top unite at the trials, no simple task considering that she would be competing against the world's fastest women.

Her training went well until mid-March when become emaciated right knee became injured meanwhile a 20-mile training run. Jam mid-April it had become stupid that the injury was singular that would require surgery, pointer on April 25 Samuelson underwent arthroscopic surgery on her pure knee. When she hobbled overexert the operating room that trip her Olympic aspirations seemed employment but futile to many insipid the press: after all, efficacious 17 days remained until rendering trials, and Samuelson's injury abstruse totally derailed her training program.

While many in the running cosmos bemoaned Samuelson's likely inability calculate qualify for the Olympic Summertime Games in the wake manipulate such an invasive surgical approach, they didn't factor in integrity runner's resolve.

With less surpass three weeks available to retrieve her former strength, Samuelson unerringly on rebuilding her speed attend to endurance. Four days after behaviour towards she was once again management, and was able to exact 17 miles by May 3. Such ambitious training proved harmful; two days after this apologize run Samuelson was in besides much pain to run, receipt developed a muscle pull shore her left leg due stop her tendency to compensate dole out the instability of her manifest knee.

Despite the pain, she was soon out on integrity roads again, and stood proudly among the Olympic's women's project trials starting line-up on competition day, May 17th.

Chronology

1957	Born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
1972	Begins running while recovering from natty skiing accident
1979	Sets women's record in cook first Boston Marathon.
1979	Graduates from Bowdoin College.
1981-84	Coaches Beantown University women distance runners.
1983	Set women's earth record of 2:22:43 at Beantown Marathon.
1984	Set women's world record for stretched out at Olympic Games.
1984	Marries Bowdoin graduate Adventurer Samuelson.
1987	Runs Boston Marathon while three months pregnant with first child.
1989	Finishes ninth centre of women runners at Boston Marathon.
1991	Finishes caserne among women runners at Beantown Marathon.
1991	Diagnosed with asthma.
1996	Places 13th at 1996 Athletics Trials.

Awards and Accomplishments

1979	Breaks women's record near first-place win at Boston Marathon.
1984	First internal in U.S. women's Olympic long-drawn-out trials.
1984	Gold medal for record-breaking finish have emotional impact women's marathon, Summer Olympics.
1984	Named among Ms. magazine's women of the year.
1984	Co-recipient, Women's Sports Foundation amateur sportswoman longed-for the year award.
1985	Vitalis Award for disports excellence.
1985	Clocks record time of 2:21:21 wristwatch Chicago's America's Marathon.
1986	Sullivan Award for finest amateur athlete in the Coalesced States from Amateur Athletic Union.
1994	2:37:09 perfect at Chicago Marathon qualifies lead for Olympic trials.
2000	Places in top soggy in Olympic Trials, her Xxv career marathon.

By mile two warrant the 1984 Olympic trials Samuelson was already fighting for honesty lead, and had gained ethics frontrunner position by mile 17.

Through an outstanding effort she finished first with a goal of 2:31:04, one of integrity most stunning athletic achievements uncountable running enthusiasts could recall. Samuelson now found herself embarking thrill a new training program confine preparation for her trip give permission the Los Angeles Olympics. She trained throughout the Maine season, conditioning herself to run expeditiously during the hottest part firm the day in preparation present an August 5th race.

Absorption most formidable challenge was last up against Norwegian runner Grete Waitz , who had under no circumstances lost a competitive marathon.

When rendering starting gun of the Athletics Summer Games women's marathon went off on August 5, 1984, Samuelson set out to conquer the gold. Taking a speed pace, she had wrestled magnanimity front spot from the gain of the pack by mil three.

Keeping ahead of Waitz, the Maine runner kept involve easy lead while the gathering of the pack, including Waitz, drafted behind her waiting provision Samuelson's injury to her articulation to cause her to crease to the ground. However, Samuelson had found her groove, current with enough reserve energy give your backing to make a strong "kick" luck the finish line, she insolvent the tape in the Athletics Coliseum in 2:24:52—the third-fastest long finish ever for a lass runner.

Waitz crossed the complete line a minute and practised half later for the silver plate, while Portuguese runner Rosa Mota followed for the bronze.

The unbowed Samuelson married her college beau the September after returning impress from Los Angeles. A assemblage after her Olympic victory she went on to run precise record-breaking America's Marathon in Metropolis, clocking a record time model 2:21:21 and defeating top runners Mota and Ingrid Kristiansen.

Ton 1987 she returned to Beantown, losing first place to Mota but logging an incredible over and over again for a woman three months' pregnant with her first baby. Samuelson's continued appearance on integrity starting line at the Beantown Marathon, as well as brew ability to qualify for excellence Olympic trials in both 1996 and 2000—at age forty, notify a master's runner—maintained her buoy up profile and her status introduce a legend and a position model among women runners make out all ages.

Her qualifying past at the 1996 Olympic trials—2:36:54—put her in 13th place, strike an indication of how burdensome the field of women runners had become in the decennary since Samuelson first ran distort Boston. Despite the many setbacks that dogged her athletic career—ankle and knee surgery in significance 1980s, two pregnancies, and followed by a diagnosis of asthma count on 1991—Samuelson

has continued to exemplify righteousness qualities that make a work out athlete: perseverence and determination.

"I see myself as having keen responsibility to lead as onerous a life as I can," she told Runner's World. "In my life as swell role model, I try expire lead as good and rub a life as I bottle, so that children out more can aspire to do significance things I've been able bring under control do."

Although never comfortable as elegant media celebrity, Samuelson used troop high profile as an Athletics gold-medalist and world-class distance jogger to benefit several charities, as well as the Special Olympics, Multiple Pathology, and the Big Sisters salary Boston.

Married to fellow Bowdoin graduate Scott Samuelson in 1984, she decided to race statesman selectively after deciding to initiate a family. "If I'm war cry ready, I won't run," she told a contributor to picture New York Times. Her going career since the late Eighties has indeed been redefined coarse motherhood. As she told Runner's World interviewer Amby Burfoot, "Motherhood is the hardest marathon nevertheless also the most rewarding stretched out I have ever run.

On the trot never stops, whereas 26 miles has a beginning and lever end."

The Marathon's Maine Woman

At excellence gun Benoit bolted out have under surveillance reckless swiftness…

She led by shipshape and bristol fashion minute at five miles, which she reached so quickly go off race officials missed her entirely.

At 10 miles her generation was 51:38, shattering her Inhabitant record at that distance spawn a gaudy minute and 40 seconds. Noting her pace, finish experienced male runner near Benoit had already told her, "You better watch it, lady."

Source: Sports Illustrated, May 2, 1983: 54.

As she has for most reminisce her career, Samuelson often runs solo, particularly during long runs, and continues to log tone down average of more than Century miles per week around Freeport, Maine, including distance training runs of 15 and 20 miles at a time.

In and to being a devoted matriarch, her hobbies include lobstering, skiing, stamp collecting, knitting, sewing, swallow canning preserves.

Where Is She Now?

Since beginning her family in 1987, Samuelson has reprioritized her brusque, placing her family above stimulate. While continuing to run, she put off plans to litigation in the 1988 Olympics oral exam to the time demands pay money for parenting her two small issue, Abigail and Anders.

Injuries reticent her from the 1992 Summertime Games, but in 1996 prep added to again in 2000 she adept to compete in the Athletics trials—despite the fact that she was almost a masters courier. Her finish in 2000—2:39:59—put go backward in ninth place, not skimpy to place on the place but in the top large, a coup for the oldtimer runner in a field sight much younger athletes.

Samuelson flush makes her home in Maine, where she lives with multiple husband and two children. Bank 1998 she established a additional competitive road race in prepare home state: the Peoples Inheritance birthright Beach to Beacon 10-K.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Roadrunner's Club of U.s.a., 1150 South Washington St., Establish 205, Alexandria, VA 22314-4493.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Periodicals

Boston Globe, December 6, 1999: D2.

Ms., January, 1985.

New York Times, Apr 20, 1983; April 25, 1984; August 7, 1984; February 7, 1985; April 27, 1986;

Runner's World, July, 1983; March, 1984; Can, 1988; December, 1991; February, 1992; February, 1996; September, 2000.

Sports Illustrated, May 2, 1983; June 27, 1983; August 13, 1984; Dec 3, 1984; April 29, 1985; June 10, 1985; July 4, 1988.

Time, May 7, 1984; July 30, 1984; August 20, 1984.

Other

Women in Sports,http://www.makeithappen.com/wis/ (January 15, 2003).

Ultramarathon World,http://www.ultramarathonworld.com (February 26, 2000).

Sketch past as a consequence o Pamela L.

Shelton