Joan Benoit facts for kids
Benoit in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joan Benoit Samuelson | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | May 16, 1957 Cape Elizabeth, Maine, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 2 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 lb | |||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Scott Samuelson (m. September 29, 1984) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | USA | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field athletics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 3000 m, Marathon | |||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Bowdoin, North Carolina State | |||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Athletics West | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Bob Sevene | |||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is a famous American marathon runner. She made history as the first woman to win an Olympic marathon gold medal. This amazing win happened at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Joan also held the fastest time for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon for 32 years. Her record at the Boston Marathon lasted for 28 years. She was honored in the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.
Contents
Early Life and Running Journey
Joan Benoit was born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She started long-distance running to help her leg heal after breaking it while slalom skiing. At Bowdoin College, she was excellent in athletics.
In 1977, she received a running scholarship to North Carolina State. There, she focused only on running. She earned special honors called All-America in 1977 and 1978. In 1978, she helped her team, the NC State Wolfpack, win the Atlantic Coast Conference cross-country championship. She was named the best female college cross-country runner for 1979–80.
Boston Marathon Wins
After finishing her degree at Bowdoin, Joan entered the 1979 Boston Marathon. Not many people knew her then. She won the race, wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, in 2 hours, 35 minutes, and 15 seconds. This was eight minutes faster than the previous record!
In 1981, she won the U.S. 10,000 meter championship. She had a time of 33 minutes, 37.50 seconds. Even after having surgery on her Achilles tendons two years earlier, she won the Boston Marathon again in 1983. She set a new course record of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 43 seconds. This time was more than two minutes faster than the world's best time, set by Norway's Grete Waitz just a day before. Joan's Boston record was not broken for another 11 years.
Olympic Gold and Later Achievements
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In March 1984, Joan hurt her knee during a training run. She had knee surgery only 17 days before the U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials. However, she recovered much faster than expected. She was the favorite to win the trials in Olympia, Washington. She won by 30 seconds, finishing in 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 4 seconds.
Three months later, she competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She won the very first Olympic Women's Marathon in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 52 seconds. She finished far ahead of other great runners like Grete Waitz, Rosa Mota, and Ingrid Kristiansen.
Joan also did well in shorter races. She won the famous Falmouth Road Race (7.1 miles) six times (1976, 1978, 1981–1983, and 1985). She broke the course record four times.
In 1985, she won the Chicago marathon. She beat Kristiansen and Mota with an American Record time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 21 seconds. This record lasted for 18 years. After her Olympic win, Joan faced some injuries. She found it hard to compete in big races for a few years. She received the 1985 James E. Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete in the United States.
Life After Professional Running
Joan Benoit wrote two books: Running Tide (1987) and Running for Women (1995).
In 1998, she started the Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race. This 10 km (6.2 mi) race happens every August in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It goes from Crescent Beach State Park to Fort Williams Park and Portland Head Light. Many of the world's top runners come to this race.
In 2003, at age 46, Joan won the Maine half-marathon. She beat many runners who were 20 years younger than her. She was faster than all but six men in the race, finishing in 1 hour, 18 minutes. In 2006, she helped pace former cycling champion Lance Armstrong in the New York City Marathon.
At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team trials, at age 50, she finished in 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 8 seconds. This set a new U.S. record for runners over 50. When she ran the New York City Marathon in 2009, she broke the Senior Masters record for runners older than 50 with a time of 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 9 seconds.
In 2010, she ran the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 50 seconds. This was the fastest time ever by a woman over 52. In 2011, she ran the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 29 seconds, winning her age group. Between 2013 and 2015, she ran the Boston Marathon every year. She set three of the four fastest marathon times for the 55–59 age group.
In 2019, Joan ran the Boston Marathon again, 40 years after her first win. She hoped to be within 40 minutes of her 1979 time. She did even better, finishing in 3 hours, 4 minutes, and 0 seconds. This was within 30 minutes of her winning time, and she won her age group (60–64) again.
Joan has run the Bix 7 road race in Davenport, Iowa, every year since 1983, winning it four times. A bronze statue of Joan and fellow runner Bill Rodgers was put up near the Bix finish line in 2007.
Joan lives in Freeport, Maine. The high school athletic complex there is named the "Joan Benoit Samuelson Track and Field." She also coaches women's cross-country and long-distance athletes. She is a speaker who inspires others and a sports commentator. She is one of the voices on the Nike+ iPod system. Joan and her husband, Scott Samuelson, have two children, Abby and Anders. Both of their children are also runners.
Awards and Recognition
Joan Benoit has been honored in several Hall of Fames:
- National Distance Running Hall of Fame (1998)
- Maine Women's Hall of Fame (2000)
- National Track and Field Hall of Fame (2004)
- USATF Masters Hall of Fame (2014)
In 2017, a plaque honoring her was placed in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum's Court of Honor.
Marathon Achievements Summary
Joan Benoit Samuelson has achieved many great things in marathons. Here are some of her top results:
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the  United States |
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| 1979 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 1st | 2:35:15 |
| 1983 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 1st | 2:22:43 |
| 1984 | Summer Olympics | Los Angeles, United States | 1st | 2:24:52 |
| 1985 | Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 1st | 2:21:21 |
| 2013 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 1st (Age Group) | 2:50:29 |
| 2019 | Boston Marathon | Boston, United States | 1st (Age Group) | 3:04:00 |
- Note: AG means Age Group. Joan won her age group at the 2013 and 2019 Boston Marathons. The 2013 race was the fastest marathon by a woman aged 55–59. However, it is not officially recognized by World Masters Athletics because the Boston Marathon course does not meet all international rules for world records.
See also
In Spanish: Joan Benoit para niños
