In 1985, Olympic gold medal winner Joan Benoit Samuelson ran the Chicago Marathon, finishing in 2:21:21 and setting an American record that lasted until 2003. Last Sunday, she was back to Chicago on the 25th anniversary of that event, and set a record again and nearly qualifying for the Olympic Trials.
I had the privilege of meeting Joan back in 1991 at a conference in Maine where she was our keynote speaker. I sat across from her at lunch and remember talking to her about my first book (Runner’s Guide to Cross Country Skiing) and giving her a copy. I still have her gracious note back to me and that’s the person I remember, a gracious, grounded mom -- listening to others, chatting like a middle-of-the-pack runner -- and then delivering a powerful fitness message to the attendees.
Of course, I saved my notes from her talk. “You need to be grounded ... home and family ... using imagery to put the mind at ease. Set aside 1 or 2 hours a day to do something for yourself. Life is a balancing act.”
She had passed on the 1988 Olympics because of her daughter born the fall before but she talked to us about her thinking about the 1992 Barcelona games -- how she’d have to uproot her family for a month to a hot place, how Scott would have to use up his leave .. and how she was leaning toward a 10K even though her chances of qualifying were better in the marathon. (As it turned out, she was injured and did not participate.) She was a delight and you’d never have known that she was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the marathon.
In Chicago last Sunday, as noted above, she nearly qualified for the Olympic Trials. She needed a 2:46 and came close: she finished in 2:47:50, taking 43rd place and becoming the fastest woman over 51 years old in history. She is an amazing athlete and person.
Elite athletes can be jerks or they can be wonderful examples for others. Joan Benoit Samuelson, has not only had a great running career, raising a family, supporting women’s running and a number of charities, fighting injuries, while keeping her grace and most of her speed and endurance. It’s cool to see her compete with women 20 years younger but it’s also great to see this icon of running, like her buddy Bill Rogers, get out there and show us that they still love to run - and still love to compete. One young woman runner/blogger put it like this after being in a race with her this month: “She's almost old enough for AARP and her 5K pace is sub-6:00.”
I enjoy following the career of Joan Samuelson and marvel how she balances elite running with all her other interests. I fondly recall that young woman who talked to us nearly two decades ago about her love of running in the foggy mornings in Maine, her balancing act with her young family, and her guiding practices: determination, dedication, and desire.
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photo from Wikipedia
