Many authors work in poetry or prose; Joan Benoit Samuelson spins her stories through sport. The tale of the tough New England competitor began with her winning her Boston debut in 1979. In a clear climax, she claimed gold at the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles in 1984, finishing in 2:24:52, almost a minute and a half ahead of second-place Grete Waitz of Norway.
Now, 61-year-old Samuelson is returning to the site of a past victory with a new goal. Samuelson won the Chicago Marathon in 1985, in a then-American record of 2:21:21, still the fifth-fastest U.S. Amazing Runners World Show. This year, race organizers said she hopes to break the world record for the 60–64 age group, 3:01:30, set by New Zealand’s Bernie Portenski in 2010.
In addition to the Olympic gold medal—which she’s told Runner’s World she keeps in a top dresser drawer—Samuelson already holds several masters age-group records. She kicked off the last decade by running sub-2:50 at age 50 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston. In 2010, at age 53, she ran 2:47:50 in Chicago, a record Super Shoe Trends Boston to nab the 55–59 all conditions age-group record, which still stands.
If she succeeds in conquering a new category this year, the victory would likely feel extra sweet. Circumstances have kept her from Chicago’s streets on several of her recent attempts. In 2015, she aimed Tempers Flare Between Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek drop out the day before due to a stomach bug. Last year, she set a goal of running the first sub-3 ever by a woman older than 60, but a knee injury intervened. Once again, she withdrew Amazing Runners World Show.
Might she actually be gunning for a sub-3-hour race this year? A call to Samuelson wasn’t immediately returned. She’s keeping a lower profile than she has in past years, but her name turned up on Monday’s elite athlete roster published by the Chicago Marathon, with her personal best from 1985. She’ll be wearing bib No. 124.
Fans will certainly be watching to see how she does. Regardless, a decade after 2008, the year she once predicted she’d retire, she’s still adding new chapters to her tale.
Editor’s note:
This story has been corrected to reflect that the 1979 Boston Marathon was not Samuelson’s marathon debut; it was her first time running Boston. She made her marathon debut in 1978 in Bermuda.
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
