Episode 446: Joan Benoit Samuelson; Pioneer in Women’s running- first Women’s Olympic Marathon Champion (1984)

Joan Benoit Samuelson is an icon in our sport! Joan is the gold medalist from the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984. She held the American record for 28 years in the marathon, 2:21:21, which she ran in Chicago. She won the Boston Marathon in 1979 while a college student and she won it again in 1983. She is the founder of the Beach to Beacon race.

She is one of the founders of the Donna Marathon which is how we met each other! The Donna Marathon supports families walking through a breast cancer diagnosis through the Donna Foundation and it supports ground breaking research.

What we talked about:

4:55- Joan’s involvement with the Donna Foundation

6:30- Beach to Beacon

9:10- Her involvement in the running community

11:05- Winning the Boston Marathon and seeing a change in women’s running

16:05- Her passion for running

19:35- Running with her daughter

20:35- Shifting out of her professional running career

22:45- The current state of women’s running

27:55- Her impact on the sport

29:45- What matters most to her in life

33:00- Not allowing pressure to steal your joy

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