Young, old, contemporary or yesterday’s news, professional athletes are to be lauded as symbols of physical perfection and grace during the eras in which they perform. Some are Midas-touched, earning medal after medal, others end up sinking into obscurity. Many of the more successful athletes retire to take up writing, charity work or even open training centers for the next generation of athletes. Still others continue to compete as they grow older, occasionally earning further accolades or setting new records in the process. Then there are those who do all those things. Joan Benoit Samuelson is one such.
A native New Englander, Benoit was born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on May 16, 1957. She took up long-distance running in 1972 as part of her physical therapy regimen while recovering from a broken leg suffered in a skiing accident. Little did the Mainer know that this medically necessary stint would lead to world records and a life of athletic renown, making her arguably one of the most famous marathon runners in the United States.
Having excelled at athletics during her time at Bowdoin College, she entered the 1979 Boston Marathon, where she took first place at just over two and a half hours, shaving eight minutes off the previous record time. In 1983, she not only repeated but also surpassed her previous record by an additional two minutes. The 1980s continued to be fruitful for Samuelson, as she not only competed in, and won, the first U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials, but she became the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the eponymous marathon. Her record was just under two and a half hours – even better than her time for the Boston Marathon of 1979. In 1985, she won the Chicago marathon, setting an all-time American record of two hours, 21 minutes and 21 seconds. Additionally, in both the 1980s and 1990s, she received multiple awards and accolades from various sources. Among others, she received the Jesse Owens Award, the Sullivan Award for the United States’ Top Amateur Athlete, the Tufts Jumbo Award, Yale University’s Kiphuth Award.
In the 1990s, she became a Paul Harris Fellow courtesy of the Rotary Club International, she received the Sarah Orne Jewett Award from the Maine Women’s Fund, the New England Women’s Leadership Award, and the Women’s Master Runner of the Year Award from the Road Runners Club of America. In addition to these worthy and prestigious awards, Joan was the recipient of several honorary degrees from such institutions as Williams College, Colby-Sawyer College, Mount Ida College and Thomas College. She was also inducted into multiple Halls of Fame: the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1984, the National Alumni Hall of Fame for the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) in 1994, the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 1998, the International Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame and last but not least, the International Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame (both in 1999).
Active as ever, Joan shows no signs of quitting anytime soon. Though she has retired from active participation in running events, she continues to inspire the current generation of American and foreign athletes with her indomitable spirit and drive. Joan has penned several books, including Running Tide and Running for Women, and she also coaches women’s cross-country and long-distance athletes. She set a new U.S. Record for participants 50+ years of age, by beating her personal goal of under 3 hours during the 2008 US Olympic Trials, and when she ran in the 2009 New York City Marathon, she smashed the 50+ division record with a race time of 2:49. Off the field, Joan is a consultant for Nike, Inc., as well as a clinician and motivational speaker. One of her greatest achievements however, is arguably the founding of the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10k charity run, which benefits a different children’s charity every year. 2010′s beneficiary is Junior Achievement of Maine. Some of the previous beneficiaries have been: Maine Handicapped Skiing, the Susan L. Curtis Foundation, the Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation and Greater Portland Big Brothers Big Sisters.