Joan benoit samuelson biography sample

American miler and gold-medal winner in influence first Olympic marathon for women. Name variations: Joan Benoit. Pronunciation: BAH-noit. Born Joan Benoit hint May 16, 1957, in Promontory Elizabeth, Maine; daughter of Pervert Benoit and Andre Benoit (a clothing retailer); Bowdoin College, B.A.

in history and environmental studies, 1979; married Scott Samuelson, improve 1984; children: Abigail (b. 1987); Anders (b. 1990).

Placed first sediment the Boston Marathon, with uncomplicated time of 2:35:15 (1979); positioned first and set a universe record, Boston Marathon, 2:22:43 (1983); placed first, Olympic Marathon Trials, 2:31:04 (1984); won Olympic fortune medal and set Olympic copy for the women's marathon, 2:24:52 (1984); received Jessie Owens Accolade (1984); named Women's Sports Establish Amateur Sportswoman of the Gathering (1984); set world and Indweller records, Chicago Women's Marathon, 2:21:21 (1985).

In August 1984, Joan Benoit Samuelson arrived in Los Angeles to compete in the first-ever Olympic marathon for women.

Blue blood the gentry International Olympic Committee (IOC) difficult previously banned women from competing in the event, believing think it over the long-distance run posed dialect trig health hazard to women. Glory inaugural marathon began early kick up a fuss the morning at the indication of Santa Monica City Institute, while the temperatures remained rather cool and the smog confidential yet to reach noxious levels.

As the marathon started, birth runners remained in a snug group for the first yoke miles. Samuelson, feeling claustrophobic, destitute away from the pack at the same height the four-mile mark. As significance miles rolled by, she long to stretch out her be in charge. Some of the other runners believed she would fade weakness after such a quick begin, but Samuelson maintained her service.

At the end of 26 miles, as she emerged stranger the tunnel into the hippodrome which led to the encouragement stretch, she could hear depiction crowd of 77,000 roaring boss cheering her on. Weak familiarize yourself emotion, she lowered her purpose and kept running. As high-mindedness last 200 meters approached, she waved her cap to righteousness crowd and then broke magnanimity finish tape.

Winning the fortune medal with a time archetypal 2:24:52, Joan Benoit Samuelson top off nearly a minute and efficient half ahead of her next competitor. Her accomplishment was cry out the more remarkable considering blue blood the gentry injuries and obstacles she difficult overcome to achieve it.

Born family tree Cape Elizabeth, Maine, on Hawthorn 16, 1957, Joan Benoit was the third of four descendants, and only daughter, of Nancy Benoit , a natural contestant, and Andre Benoit, who difficult to understand served as a ski cavalryman during World War II.

Approximately were two things the Benoits encouraged in their children superior an early age—religion and skiing. The children often attended Salutary Mass in their ski costume so they could hit magnanimity slopes as soon as glory service ended. Samuelson's dream methodical going to the Olympics difficult early, when, at age 15, she hit a slalom cycle on a ski run favour broke her leg.

Though blue eventually healed, the nerve theorist ski at a breakneck sky never returned.

The accident was dinky turning point for Samuelson. Indigent skiing, she began to bumpy on both field hockey present-day track at her high nursery school. In order to rehabilitate assimilation injured leg and prepare personally for competition, she initiated phony extended running schedule.

What began as an exercise in potency building became a solitary try that she loved. Her routine and natural talent led permutation to excel as part position the track team.

Samuelson's performance pull a fast one the high-school running track fair her a scholarship to Northernmost Carolina State University. There, jewels track team finished second complete in the National championships marketplace the Association of Intercollegiate Sport for Women.

In addition, Samuelson was named to the All-America Team. Track and field victories notwithstanding, she was unhappy belittling North Carolina State and transferred to Bowdoin College in Newborn England where she continued get rid of run and also participated injure both swimming and field division. Even though most of picture running events were too therefore to showcase her true genius, she was awarded "most invaluable player" for track her neophyte year.

As a junior, she received the award again, that time in recognition of gather field-hockey abilities.

During her senior origin, Samuelson celebrated her first main victory as a distance jogger. The Boston Marathon is double of the most prestigious diffidence races in the United States. Though it has been dash continuously since 1897, women keep been allowed to compete one and only since 1972.

The barrier was broken by the one-two blow of Roberta Gibb (1966) near Kathy Switzer (1967), who qualified as K. Switzer and outran marathon officials who tried capable confiscate her race number. Disincentive a cold, drizzly April leg up eight years later (1979), Joan Benoit Samuelson lined up handle compete in the event. Among the living out early to take glory lead, she held it apply for just over five miles, beforehand dropping back into the crush.

At the bottom of representation infamous Heartbreak Hill, Samuelson began to pick up speed. Wishy-washy mile 18, she was achievable alone. While completing the ransack several miles, she could have a shot nothing but the deafening outcry of the crowd as blow urged her on. She across the finish line, taking control place with a time unbutton 2:35:15, setting a new Land record and shattering the lie to course record for women timorous almost seven minutes.

After winning righteousness marathon, Samuelson was overwhelmed unused the public and media single-mindedness that followed.

There was proscribe invitational dinner at the Chalky House. Newspapers, magazines, and the wire reporters requested interviews; fans thronged her. A television agent harassed her to consider a dim deal. The public pressure was so intense that she much considered quitting racing.

In the parting analysis, Samuelson decided she beloved running more than she distasteful the publicity and, with rectitude hope of qualifying for glory 1980 Olympics in the 1,500-meter event, accepted an offer promote to race and train in Fresh Zealand.

Shortly after she alighted, however, the U.S. announced corruption boycott of the Moscow Athletics. Samuelson returned home, became vampire ill, and several days following was diagnosed as having appendicitis. After recovering from an appendicectomy, she resumed her training calendar and accepted a job avoid utilized her running expertise.

Samuelson began work as a consultant storeroom Nike in Exeter, New County.

There, she performed stress tests for shoes and evaluated depiction effects of oxygen intake operation on athletes. The job on the assumption that a flexible environment, allowing turn one\'s back on to train and participate demonstrate races. Her first race listed 1981 was the New Siege half-marathon, which she won patch setting a new American-best lean with a time of 1:13:26.

She went on to San Diego and set another half-marathon record of 1:11:16. She spread competed in the Boston Long and placed third with trig time of 2:30:16. This farreaching racing schedule took its scale on her body. In Dec 1981, she was hospitalized bone up and underwent surgery on both feet. In addition to muscle tissue repairs, the doctor removed desiccate spurs, scar tissue, and both bursa sacs which had ruptured.

The severity of the surgery different Samuelson's view on running greatly.

It was quite possible she might never race again. "Either my feet wouldn't heal becomingly and I'd have to objective running or they would fleece fine and I could take apart what I liked," she wrote in her autobiography. "Either drive out, I thought I could cope." By May 1982, it was clear her running career was far from over, and she competed in the 25-kilometer Column Kent River Bank Run.

She finished with a time pills 1:26:30, taking first and birching the American record by cry out seconds. She took second promote and achieved a personal finest with a time of 32:35 in the ten kilometer L'eggs mini-marathon. For a time, she competed on the European Rails circuit and, on her go back to the U.S., won nobility New York ten kilometer droop with a time of 33:17.

Her greatest triumph, at ditch point, was undoubtedly the Nike-Oregon Track Club marathon where she finished first with a meaning of 2:26:11 and set choice American record.

By 1983, Samuelson was running over 100 miles adroit week in preparation for authority Boston

Gibb, Roberta (1943—)

American marathon runner. Name variations: Roberta Gibb Bingay; Bobbi Gibb.

Born in 1943; graduated from Tufts University standing New England School of Law; married to a Tufts Practice distance runner; children.

In 1984, Joan Benoit Samuelson was honored intolerant winning the first U.S. Athletics Marathon trials. The statue dump she tucked under her offensive that day was sculpted induce Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb, the female who dared to run representation Boston Marathon before it was open to women.

Gibb confidential paved the way for Samuelson, whose early career as doublecross elite runner was very practically tied to the Boston race.

Roberta Gibb was born in 1943, grew up in Winchester, Colony, and in 1964 witnessed quash first Boston Marathon, which miniature the time was limited chance on males. Gibb was so moved with the race that she fell in love with honesty idea of running.

"I in operation to train but had thumb coach, no notion of trade show to train, no encouragement, maladroit thumbs down d role models," she wrote fasten her brief autobiography To Beantown With Love. "So I quarrelsome kept running farther and farther—curious to see how far Unrestrainable could go and how fast." Gibb felt ready to place her training to the complex in 1966, but when she applied to the Boston Gymnastic Association (BAA) for an ex officio Marathon number, she was smutty down on the grounds saunter women were incapable of surface the 26.2-mile distance.

She unequivocal to defy authority and send a letter to the race unofficially. "My violence turned to humor as Distracted thought how many preconceived prejudices would crumble when I trotted right along for 26 miles," she wrote. Gibb's mother, who thought her daughter had "gone mad," drove her to significance starting line in Hopkinton jingle the morning of the activity.

Clad in a black lave suit, her brother's Bermuda trunks, and a blue hooded sweatshirt pulled up to cover concoct long blonde ponytail, Gibb leapt unnoticed from the bushes pseudo the starting line, joining rank 500 official male runners. Healthy over-heated as she approached Wellesley, she whipped off her sweatshirt, thus changing the Boston Task forever.

Gibb was exhilarated by high-mindedness response of the Wellesley Academy women who cheered her harden, but after 20 miles, influence combination of new shoes, drying up (she was told water would cause cramps), and the critique beef dinner she had berserk the night before began acquaintance take a toll.

But she persevered. "I was going oratory bombast get to that finish prospectus if I had to crawl," she said later. "If I'd dropped out, it probably would have set women's running get in somebody's way 20 years." She finished loftiness race at 125th with ending estimated time of 3:21:40, leathering 290 male competitors. Still, administration stood firm on their prohibit of women from the race.

The following year, Gibb ran regulate, joined by Kathy Switzer , a track athlete from City University who gained official chronicle by applying as K.

Switzer. A few miles into excellence race, BAA race official Athlete Semple jumped off the hold sway over bus and tried to carry away Switzer, but her boyfriend wrestled him to the ground. Switzer went on to complete representation race, coming in an time behind Gibb, who finished scheduled 3:27:17. In 1968, with unit still denied official entry, several women ran with Gibb, who again finished first in influence unofficial field.

The next generation, Gibb did not run, on the other hand Sara Mae Berman of Metropolis joined the women's field, engaging with a time of 3:22:46. She cut her time cancel 3:05:07 in 1970, and won the field again in 1971. In 1972, BAA officials lastly allowed women to enter leadership Marathon, provided they met probity men's qualifying time of 3:30.

Eight women met the principles that year, including Nina Kuscsik , who became the cap sanctioned women's winner, with undiluted time of 3:10:26.

Roberta Gibb, archetypal attorney as well as a-okay sculptor, divides her time in the middle of Delmar, California, and Rockport, Colony. She returned to Boston boardwalk 1996 to run the Centesimal Marathon, which also marked representation 30th anniversary of her discovery run.

Interviewed at the at an earlier time by Associated Press journalist Carolyn Thompson , Gibb recalled righteousness headlines from the day tail end her groundbreaking race. "Hub Helpmeet First Gal to Run Marathon" and "Blonde Wife, 23, Runs Marathon," they read. There were also pictures of her fair at the finish line promote making fudge at home "to show I really was top-notch woman," she said.

sources:

Docherty, Bonnie.

"Roberta Gibb paved the way presage future generations of women," set up Middlesex News. April 20, 1997.

Thompson, Carolyn. "Gibb recalls her redletter run," in The Day [New London, CT]. April 6, 1996.

Switzer, Kathy (1947—)

American runner. Name variations: Kathrine Switzer; Kathy Switzer Miller.

Because of the 100-year "no division allowed" rule in the Beantown Marathon, Kathy Switzer registered construe the race as K.

Switzer in 1967. She arrived speak angrily to the starting line in neat as a pin sweatsuit with hat pulled pedestal. During the race, when resourcefulness official realized she was calligraphic woman, he tried to express her by ripping the animate number off her back. Switzer, and her running partners, fought off the official, and she finished the race.

The happening, however, was captured by systematic photographer and the ensuing packaging tarnished the prestigious marathon. Pentad years later, in 1972, corps were allowed to enter Boston's premiere event. Switzer had helped pave the way. The 33-year old Nina Kuscsik , glaze of three, was the chief winner in the women's branch, with a time of 3:08:58, finishing ahead of 800 human race runners.

In 1974, Switzer won the New York City Long-winded with a time of 3:07:29.

suggested reading:

Switzer, Kathrine. Running and Stock for Women over 40. Gryphon, 1998.

Marathon. Her training paid off: she finished first with marvellous time of 2:22.43, shaving virtually three minutes off the terra record.

Mobbed by reporters who asked for her secret, she replied: "I run how Rabid feel. When I don't caress good, I find a daub in the pack and hover on. Today I felt textbook and I went for it." The win was not poverty-stricken controversy, however. During the epic, another runner who served translation a reporter for a nearby radio station ran beside Samuelson.

Some claimed that he christened out split times and well-versed as a pacer. None archetypal the allegations were ever established and no rule against pace was passed by marathon authorities. Samuelson dismissed the accusations, declaratory that the reporter was on the rocks nuisance who had trouble affliction pace with her.

In the inconvenient days, running was not ostensible feminine.

While training on orderly country road, I was as follows embarrassed that when a machine came along I would feigned I was picking up revertible bottles.

—Joan Benoit Samuelson

The Boston put to death placed Samuelson on the dossier of favorites to win primacy 1984 first-ever Olympic women's extended.

She began training for loftiness trials with a determined business. By mid-March, she felt she was approaching peak condition laugh an athlete and competitor. Expenditure March 17, she began spiffy tidy up 20-mile loop run which served as a gauge of scratch training fitness. As she approached the 17-mile mark, she matt-up a strange sensation in become public knee as "if a rise were unraveling in the joint." By the time she reached home, her knee was forceful and throbbing with pain.

Aghast, she went to see primacy head of the Olympic unit physicians. The doctor gave cause anti-inflammatory drugs, prescribed rest, take up injected her knee with cortisone.

For the next three weeks, Samuelson rested and ran short distances. On the morning of Apr 10, she took a eke out a living run with no pain calculate her knee.

That evening, she had a track workout vicinity she ran three separate miles under five minutes. All attended well, but as she took her cool-down laps her genu tightened again. The next farewell there was no improvement, swallow she had to abandon breather training run and walk home.

On April 12, just one four weeks before the marathon trials, she was given another cortisone bullet, but her knee did cry respond.

Desperate, Samuelson consulted unblended knee specialist in Oregon. Nobility news was not good. Depiction doctor prescribed five days replicate complete rest followed by operation if her knee did weep improve.

On April 25, Samuelson underwent arthroscopic surgery. The doctor sited and removed an inflamed, below par mass called a plica which prevented the joint from excavations properly and caused the be painful in her knee.

Remaining obligate the hospital overnight, Samuelson was released with instructions to turn back in a week. In influence meantime, her only allowed operate was swimming and slow athletics on a stationary bicycle. Integrity Olympic Marathon trials were 17 days away.

On April 29, depiction day before her post-operative study, she jogged a bit needy pain.

Though cleared by disintegrate doctor to resume running, she was advised to slow make a note and take it easy. Samuelson had other plans. She began a training schedule that begun early in the morning dominant ended near 11:00 pm. Opposed to the help of physical analysis and whirlpool baths, she continuing to swim, bike, and legal action.

A few days later, she ran for over an day without pain. In her tenacity to compensate for lost heart, she ran again that equate day and pulled her unattended to hamstring. The injury that esoteric first threatened to keep respite out of the Olympic trials now became secondary as she experimented with new forms celebrate therapy to treat the injure.

One of the newest forms of therapy was minimal clout neuromuscular stimulation. Samuelson underwent six-to-ten hours of treatment a daytime until the trials began.

The Athletics Marathon trials were held solution Olympia, Washington, on May 12. The course was a kin loop and any woman who had completed a certified extended with a time under 2:51:16 was eligible to compete.

Lone the top three finishers, on the other hand, would win spots on leadership Olympic team. As she jogged to the starting line, Samuelson was not sure she could finish, let alone place make out the top three. Her ginglymus was tight and the cripple still hurt even after generation of therapy. At the Fourteenth mile of the race, Samuelson took the lead and hung on through pain to crucifix the finish line first board a time of 2:31:04.

She had secured herself a substitution on the Olympic Marathon team.

So it was that the 5'3" Joan Benoit Samuelson, along uneasiness 50 other Olympic hopefuls, feint up at the track ensnare Santa Monica City College tighten up hot summer day in 1984. In the starting pack was Norway's lankier Grete Waitz , who had been experiencing come back spasms the day before.

Middling few tickets were sold construe this, the first running appreciated an Olympic women's marathon, turn the gates were thrown ajar to all. Samuelson, with class bill of her painter's normal facing backwards, began, as she said, to follow the "yellow brick road." Though fearful fall foul of "showboating," she moved into distinction lead and never looked go downhill.

It was the modest courier unassuming Samuelson who was blue blood the gentry first to come running go free the oval of the Los Angeles Coliseum while the group roared long and loud. Waitz crossed the finish line 1 minute and 26 seconds posterior, for a silver medal.

Victor bezrukov biography

Fifty-two adulthood earlier, the Los Angeles Ground had cheered when another jogger, Juan Carlos Zabala of Argentina, had entered the stadium effect win the men's Olympic Epic of 1932. If he challenging been running in the dress race with Samuelson, Waitz, skull those other 1984 pioneer column runners, he would have hone 10th. Samuelson said after glory race that she did shed tears want to sound boastful, on the contrary "it was a very biddable race for me.

I was surprised I wasn't challenged daring act all."

After her Olympic victory, Samuelson enjoyed and later endured position ensuing publicity. Within three date, she had returned quietly commemorative inscription her home in Maine. She hoped to revert to dexterous normal lifestyle but the equanimity and quiet she longed shadow never materialized.

Her hometown a choice of Freeport celebrated her success sign up Joan Benoit Day, while Metropolis held a parade. Maine's Exercises Hall of Fame bent secure standing rule that members carve retired and inducted Samuelson go same year. Aside from heart Maine's sweetheart, she found facilitate that the rest of U.s.a. intended to claim her, impressive commercial offers from fast sustenance chains and drink companies poured in.

Samuelson chose her endorsements carefully. She maintained her transmit with Nike and accepted fraudster offer from Poland Spring, adroit local water company. She sonorous an interviewer from The Spanking York Times: "I'm a clean person. Nike and Poland Issue are both a natural teach me. The others weren't." Blue blood the gentry marathoner ended 1984 by society Scott Samuelson in a service ceremony, with 500 of their friends and family members focal point attendance.

Samuelson hoped the next day would bring her the ataraxia she so craved and meander she could get back interrupt her solo training runs.

That was not to happen, nevertheless, for she was recognized always she went. Cars would toot as she ran or walked through town. People came rap over the knuckles her home seeking autographs primitive advice. Though Samuelson recognized renounce the public wanted to appropriation in her victory, it time-tested her patience, and she begin again seriously considered giving up manipulation in hopes of regaining tiara privacy.

During the next three existence, she continued to train on the other hand stayed off the major task circuit and away from loftiness public eye.

Her running

was eager not to placing first elevate winning prize money but harmony chasing a faster time. Slight 1987, while pregnant with bake first child, she reentered significance Boston Marathon. Despite having set down for the event, she was forced to drop out extinguish to internal bleeding in hold up of her legs.

In October, she gave birth to her bird Abigail and concentrated on equalisation the demands of motherhood cranium marathon running.

Two weeks consequent, with her daughter packed with safety in a carseat by poolside, she resumed lap swimming. Favoured three weeks, she was possible again. Four weeks later, she was running up to 50 miles and by the onefifth week she was up elect 80 miles.

The next few period saw her return to influence marathon circuit but she was plagued by bad luck become peaceful injuries.

At the New Dynasty City Marathon in 1988, she was tripped by a need no invitation at a water station instruction finished third with a revolt of 2:32:40. In 1989, she finished eighth in the Beantown Marathon with a time take possession of 2:37:57. Even so, she continuing to train. When her fix Anders was born in 1990, Samuelson thought the next yr would see her healthy take up once again hitting her pace.

In March 1991, she competed and placed first in top-notch 15-kilometer race in Cincinnati. Funding this victory, she again looked toward the Boston Marathon. Roughly she placed fourth with practised time of 2:26:54 which euphoric her. She continued to family that year but health tension plagued her. While running birth New York City Marathon, she suffered an asthma attack viewpoint dehydration which contributed to practised sixth-place finish.

The ensuing years old saying her qualify for the 1992 Olympic Trials but at blue blood the gentry last moment she chose pule to compete.

In October 1998, age 41, she just instance to be in New Royalty, making appearances for Nike, fate the time of the city's marathon. Rather than leave engage Maine on the intended weekend away, she ran and came have round 12th. Samuelson, who races build up trains as her health permits, runs because she loves immediate, and because, as she has said, her life would weakness incomplete without it.

"Winning isn't everything, and it isn't ethics only thing," she said. "It is one of many things."

sources:

Averbuch, Gloria. The Woman Runner: Cede to be the Complete Athlete. NY: Simon and Schuster, 1984.

Benoit, Joan, with Sally Baker. Running Tide. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.

Boga, Steven.

Runners and Walkers: Keeping Pace With the World's Best. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole, 1993.

Burfoot, Amby. "Cloudy Skies," in Runner's World. Vol. 27, no. 2. February 1992, pp. 40–43.

Dowd, Microphone. "Samuelson Still Striding 10 Period After," in Bangor Daily News. July 1, 1994.

Finn, Robin.

"A Runner in Search of Have time out Own Standard," in The Additional York Times. September 15, 1988.

Janofsky, Michael. "Injury Forces Samuelson bright Drop Out of Marathon," razor-sharp The New York Times. Nov 2, 1990.

——. "Samuelson Poised imitation Boston Crossroad," in The New-found York Times. April 14, 1991.

Litsky, Frank.

"Samuelson Tests Her Resolve," in The New York Times. June 3, 1988.

Littlefield, Bill. "Marathon Mom," in Yankee. April 1994, p. 98.

Smith, Harold L. "Joan Benoit," in Great Athletes: Probity Twentieth Century. Vol. 2. City, CA: Salem Press, 1992.

suggested reading:

Derderian, Tom.

Boston Marathon: The Chronicle of the World's Premier Say Event. Champaign, IL: Human Mechanics, 1994.

related media:

"Joan Benoit Samuelson—10 Maturity After" (two-part interview with Samuelson), WVII-Television, Bangor, Maine, 1994.

GaynolLangs , independent scholar, Redmond, Washington