Name	Grete Waitz
Fullname	Grete Waitz
Nationality	Norwegian
Birth date	October 01, 1953
Birth place	Oslo, Norway
Death date	April 19, 2011
Death place	Oslo, Norway
Country
Sport	Track and field athletics
Event	Marathon
Olympics	1984
Medaltemplates	}}

Grete Waitz (1 October 1953 – 19 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. Waitz won nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988, more than any other runner in history. She also won a silver medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki.

Background

Born Grete Andersen in Oslo, Norway, Waitz was a talented young runner, but had difficulty in getting her parents to take her potential profession seriously. This was a time when female athletes were not given the necessary support and funding needed to compete at the top level. However, Waitz ran at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the 1500 metres, and to support her athletic career she studied at a teachers college.

Career

In her teen years, Waitz won national junior titles in Norway in the 400 and 800 meters. At age 17 she set the European junior record for 1500 m with a time of 4:17, and won a bronze medal at the European Championships in this event in 1974. In 1975 Waitz broke the 3000 metres world record, running 8:46.6 in Oslo. In Oslo a year later she lowered this record with an 8:45.4 effort, then in 1977 she won a gold medal at this distance at the inaugural IAAF World Cup in Athletics meet in Düsseldorf with a personal best time of 8:31.75. Her 4:00.55 career best in the 1500 m, set in Prague on 1978, still stands as the Norwegian national record. Her last race was a victory at 5000 metres in Oslo in June 1982 in which her 15:08.80 was the second best in history, falling only a half second short of the world record set three weeks earlier by Mary Slaney.

It was in 1978 that her association with the New York City Marathon began; she was invited to run there by race co-founder and director Fred Lebow, and in her first appearance she not only won but took a full two minutes off the women's world record. She went on to win the race nine times and broke the world record three years in a row. In all, she lowered the women's world record by nine minutes, taking the standard from Christa Vahlensieck's 2:34:47 down to 2:32:30 in 1978, 2:27:33 in 1979, 2:25:41 in 1980, and finally to 2:25:29, which she ran at London in 1983. Besides her marathon victories in New York and the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Waitz also won the London Marathon in 1983 and 1986 (the latter in a personal best of 2:24:54), as well as the Stockholm Marathon in 1988 at 2:28:24 (which as of 2011 is still the Stockholm course record for women).

Waitz enjoyed much success on the road at non-marathon distances as well, including a win at the Falmouth Road Race in 1980, four victories at the prestigious 10-km Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, five wins at the L'eggs Mini-Marathon in New York, and world road records at 8 km (25:03), twice in the 10-km (31:16 in 1979, then later to 30:59), 15-km (48:01), and 10-mile distances. She further demonstrated her versatility by successfully competing in cross country, earning two bronze medals (1982, 1984) at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and winning the gold medal five times, (1978-1981 and 1983), tying her with Doris Brown Heritage for most wins in the history of women's International/World Cross Country Championships.

The only significant award she did not win in her career was an Olympic victory. As an up-and-coming 19-year-old in Munich and then a 23-year-old running the 1500 m in Montreal (the longest event allowed for women in the Olympics up until 1984), she competed, but did not medal, in an event that was far short of her specialty. In 1980, Norway was one of the countries that decided to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, she was beaten in the marathon by Joan Benoit, placing second to take the silver medal. In the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, a bad knee forced her to drop out of the women's marathon just after passing the 18-mile mark. She won a gold medal in the marathon at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki.

Waitz completed her last marathon on 1 November 1992 with her friend Fred Lebow. In celebration of Lebow's 60th birthday, after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in early 1990, they both completed the New York City Marathon with a time of 5:32:35.

Personal bests

1500 metres - 4:00.55 - Prague - 03/09/1978

One mile - 4:26.90 - Gateshead - 09/07/1978

3000 metres - 8:31.75 - Oslo (Bislett) - 17/07/1979

15 kilometres - 47:52 - Tampa, FL - 11/02/1984

Marathon - 2:24:54 - London - 20/04/1986

After retirement

Although not competing at the top level, Waitz still ran in and organised corporate races in which she aimed to give advice and information on distance running and health. She also did charity work, particularly for the CARE International and the International Special Olympics. In June 2005 it was publicly known that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. She also coached Liz McColgan. For more than 25 years, Waitz served as the ambassador for the worldwide JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series, promoting health and wellness to full-time workers. She provided regular training and motivational tips. Waitz was also a spokesperson for Avon Products.

In August 2009 it was revealed that Waitz had initiated a co-operation between her old sponsor, Adidas, and the cancer care foundation she started in 2007 - "Aktiv mot kreft". The co-operation would mean that the cancer care foundation would get 5% of the proceeds from Adidas' sale of their Grete Waitz and Modern Classics collections. This could be as much as NOK 500 million per year, which would go to the establishment of hospital physical training centres and investment in PET-scanners.

Death

Waitz died of cancer on 19 April 2011, aged 57. Waitz was survived by her husband Jack, and her brothers Jan and Arild. The Norwegian government later announced she would be buried with government honour at state expense, the sixth woman in Norwegian history to be given this honor.

Legacy

Waitz is widely acknowledged as helping to promote marathon and long-distance running for women. In Norway she is a sporting legend, with an annual race named after her in her honor. The New York Road Runners club annually sponsors "Grete's Great Gallop," a half-marathon, in her honor.

There is a statue of her in the Norway pavilion in EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort. There is also a statue of her outside the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, and she has been featured on a set of stamps.

On 23 November 2008 Waitz was appointed a Knight 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, bestowed by King Harald V of Norway in recognition of her being an important role model. Waitz received the St. Olav Medal in 1981 and St. Hallvard's Medal in 1989.

Achievements

{| |- !colspan="6"|Representing |- |1978 |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:32:30 |- |1979 |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:27:33 |- |1980 |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:25:41 |- |1982 |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:27:14 |- |rowspan=3|1983 |London Marathon |London, United Kingdom |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:25:29 |- |World Championships |Helsinki, Finland |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:28:08 |- |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:27:00 |- |rowspan=2|1984 |Summer Olympics |Los Angeles, USA |bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |Marathon |2:26:18 |- |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:29:30 |- |1985 |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:28:34 |- |rowspan=2|1986 |London Marathon |London, United Kingdom |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:24:54 |- |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:28:06 |- |rowspan=3| 1988 |Stockholm Marathon |Stockholm, Sweden |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:28:24 |- |Summer Olympics |Seoul, South Korea | -- |Marathon |DNF |- |New York City Marathon |New York City, USA |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:28:07 |}

References

Audio interview

TheFinalSprint.com's interview with running pioneer Grete Waitz

External links

Biography of Grete Waitz

Grete Waitz reflects on her, & Fred Lebow's, last NYC Marathon

Lyudmila Bragina|title=Women's 3 000 m world record holder|years=24 June 1975 – 7 August 1976|after= Lyudmila Bragina}} Christa Vahlensieck|title=Women's marathon world record holder|years=22 October 1978 – 18 April 1983|after= Joan Benoit}} Joan Benoit|title=Women's half marathonworld record holder|years=15 May 1982 – 18 September 1983|after= Joan Benoit}} Lyudmila Bragina|title=Women's 3000 m Best Year Performance|years=1975|after= Lyudmila Bragina}} Lyudmila Bragina|title=Women's 3000 m Best Year Performance|years=1977 – 1979|after= Yelena Sipatova}} Ingrid Kristiansen|title=Women's fastest marathon race |years=1986|after= Ingrid Kristiansen}}

Category:1953 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:Female long-distance runners Category:Norwegian long-distance runners Category:Marathon runners Category:London Marathon winners Category:New York City Marathon winners Category:Olympic athletes of Norway Category:Olympic silver medalists for Norway Category:Knights First Class of the Order of St. Olav Category:Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Category:Recipients of the Medal of St. Hallvard Category:People from Oslo Category:Former world record holders in athletics (track and field) Category:National Distance Running Hall of Fame inductees Category:Cancer deaths in Norway Category:Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)

an:Grete Waitz da:Grete Waitz de:Grete Waitz es:Grete Waitz eo:Grete Waitz fr:Grete Waitz it:Grete Waitz nl:Grete Waitz ja:グレテ・ワイツ no:Grete Waitz nn:Grete Waitz pl:Grete Waitz pt:Grete Waitz fi:Grete Waitz sv:Grete Waitz vi:Grete Waitz

Fred Lebow (June 3, 1932 – October 9, 1994), who was born Fischel Lebowitz, was an avid runner and founder of the New York City Marathon. Born in Arad, Romania, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with over 43,660 finishers in 2009. He was posthumously inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2001.

Lebow ran in the inaugural marathon in 1970, finishing 45th out of 55 runners with a time of 4:12:09. He ran his last NYC Marathon on November 1, 1992 in celebration of his 60th birthday, after being diagnosed with brain cancer in early 1990, with his dear friend, 9 time NYC Marathon women's winner Grete Waitz with a time of 5:32:35.

During his career he completed 69 marathons in 30 countries. Along with the NYC Marathon he also organized the Empire State Building Run Up, the Fifth Avenue Mile, and the Crazy Legs Mini Marathon, the first strictly women's race. Lebow was also president of the New York Road Runners Club for twenty years.

His memorial service at the finish line of the New York City Marathon, attracted a crowd of 3,000 mourners, which was, at that time, the largest memorial gathering in Central Park since the death of John Lennon.

In Lebow's honor, a sculpture of him was created by Jesus Ygnacio Dominguez. Unveiled on November 4, 1994, it depicts Lebow timing runners with his watch. In 2001, the statue was moved to its permanent location on the East Side Central Park Drive at 90th St. Every year, however, the statue is moved to a spot in view of the finish line of the Marathon.

In popular culture

The movie ''Run for Your Life'' tells the story of Lebow and the New York City Marathon.

References

;Notes

;Sources

USATF Hall of Fame Bio

NYRR Bio

External links

Run for Your Life Documentary film by Judd Ehrlich about the life of Fred Lebow.

Fred Lebow in the National Distance Running Hall of Fame

Fred Lebow's Race To The Finish

Fred Lebow's last NY marathon

Category:1932 births Category:1994 deaths Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Category:American people of Romanian descent Category:Jewish American sportspeople Category:Romanian emigrants to the United States Category:Romanian Jews Category:National Distance Running Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Arad, Romania

de:Fred Lebow nl:Fred Lebow

Name	Paula Radcliffe
Country
Club	Bedford & County Athletic Club
Birth date	December 17, 1973
Birth place	Davenham, Cheshire, England
Height
Weight
Pb	5000 m: 14:29.11 10,000 m: 30:01.09 Half Marathon: 1:06:47 Marathon: 2:15:25 WR
Olympics	1996, 5000 m, 5th 2000, 10,000 m, 4th 2004, Marathon, DNF 2004, 10,000 m, DNF 2008, Marathon, 23rd
Worlds	1993, 3000 m, 7th 1997, 5000 m, 4th 1999, 10,000 m, 2001, 10,000 m, 4th 2005, 10,000 m, 9th 2005, Marathon,
Highestranking	1
Updated	25-08-2007
Medaltemplates	}}

Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon.

In 2002, Radcliffe was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and was awarded an MBE.

Early life

Radcliffe was born on 17 December 1973 in Davenham near Northwich, Cheshire. Her family then moved to nearby Barnton where she attended Little Leigh Primary School. Despite suffering from asthma and anaemia she took up running at the age of seven, influenced by her father who was a keen amateur marathon runner and joined Frodsham Athletic Club. Her family later moved to Kingsley.

When Radcliffe was aged 12, the family moved to Oakley, Bedfordshire and she became a member of Bedford & County Athletics Club. Her joining the club coincided with a talented and dedicated coach, Alex Stanton, building the women's and girls' sections in to one of the strongest in the country, in spite of Bedford's relatively small size.

Radcliffe's father became club vice-chairman and her mother, a fun-runner, managed the women's cross-country team. Her first race at a national level came as a 12 year old in 1986 when she placed 299th out of around 600 in the girls' race of the English Schools Cross Country Championships. She finished fourth in the same race one year later.

Radcliffe attended Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College. She went on to study French, German and economics at Loughborough University, gaining a first-class honours degree in modern European studies.

Running career

Early career

Radcliffe's early running success was in cross country events, including the 1992 World Junior title, beating Wang Junxia. She missed the 1994 season through injury, but came back with a succession of good results at 5,000 m, including fifth place in both the 1995 World Championships and 1996 Olympic Games. Although a silver-medalist in the 1999 World Championships in Athletics Radcliffe finished out of the medals at the 2000 Olympic Games and 2001 World Championships.

She won back-to-back titles in the 2000 and 2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and winning a third title in 2003.

Cross country champion

On 24 March, Radcliffe won the Ostend, Belgium held World Cross Country Championships 2001 title. Radcliffe, who finished in a time of 27:49, said: "It still hasn't really sunk in". Gete Wami, who came in second place said: "No one likes losing, but if anyone deserves to win this title it is Paula. She was great."

Held in March in Dublin, Radcliffe defended her title in the Women's Long Race when she won the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships title for a second year. She won in 26:46.

Marathon world record

In 2002, Radcliffe made the move up to the marathon, a decision that immediately paid off with victory at her debut in that year's London Marathon on 14 April 2002 in a world's best time for a women's only race (2:18:55). Her time was the second quickest in women's marathon history behind the world record of 2:18:47 set by Catherine Ndereba, of Kenya, in Chicago.

Later that year, Radcliffe set a world record time of 2:17:18 in the Chicago Marathon on 13 October 2002, breaking the previous record by a minute and a half.

She was awarded an MBE in June 2002. She said: "It means a great deal to me, it's a great honour and it really tops off an amazing year. "To come here and receive this and to meet the Queen at the end of it just finishes it off perfectly."

Later the same year, she became the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, making her the first woman in over a decade to be honoured with the accolade. Paula thanked her husband Gary Lough, her coach Alex Stanton and her physio, Gerard Hartmann.

Further world records

Radcliffe is the current world record holder for the women's marathon, which she set during the 2003 London Marathon in April, with a time of 2:15:25. This mark is currently one of the highest scoring performances ever. In terms of IAAF world ranking points, at 1307, it is higher in value than Florence Griffith-Joyner's 100 and 200 m records, Marita Koch's 400 m, and Michael Johnson's 400 m record.

Radcliffe is also the current world record holder for the women's road 10k in a time of 30 minutes and 21 seconds, which she set on 23 February 2003 in the World's Best 10K in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Radcliffe won the 2004 New York City Marathon in a time of 2:23:10, beating Kenya's Susan Chepkemei.

Of the seven marathons Radcliffe has run so far, she has won six and set a record in five. She has run four out of the five fastest times in history in the women's marathon.

2004 Athens Olympics

Radcliffe did not compete in the London Marathon in 2004, but was the favourite to win a gold medal in the marathon at the Olympic Games in Athens. However, she suffered an injury to her leg just two weeks prior to the event and had to use a high dose of anti-inflammatory drugs. This had an adverse effect on her stomach hindering food absorption. She ended up withdrawing from the race after 36 km. Five days later she started in the 10,000 metres but, still suffering from the effects of the marathon, retired with eight laps remaining. Radcliffe said "You go through bad stages in a marathon, but never as bad as that", "I've never before not been able to finish and I'm desperately trying to find a reason for what happened", "I just feel numb - this is something I worked so hard for."

Regarded as Great Britain's best gold medal hope in athletics, her withdrawal made headlines in the UK, with editorial stances ranging from support to negativity, with some newspapers deriding Radcliffe for 'quitting', rather than going on to finish the race. Television pictures showed Radcliffe in a clearly distressed state after dropping out of the marathon, being comforted by two friends from her early running days.

2005: Marathon World Champion

At the 2005 London Marathon, Radcliffe won with a time of 2:17:42, a world's best time for a women's only race by over a minute. The race is remembered for a notorious moment towards the end when Radcliffe, hindered by runner's diarrhoea and in need for a toilet break, stopped and defecated on the side of the road in view of the crowd and TV cameras which broadcast the incident live. After the race, she apologised to viewers and explained what happened, "I was losing time because I was having stomach cramps and I thought 'I just need to go and I'll be fine'. I didn’t really want to resort to that in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Basically I needed to go. I started feeling it between 15 and and probably carried on too long before stopping. I must have eaten too much beforehand". In November 2006, the incident was voted ''top running moment in history'' in the UK from a choice of ten 'unforgettable moments'.

On 14 August 2005 at the World Championships held in Helsinki she won Britain's only gold medal when she took the marathon title, dominating the race and setting a championship record time of 2:20:57. Catherine Ndereba of Kenya finished in second place, more than a minute behind. Radcliffe said: "It pretty much went according to plan. If somebody had been with me at the end I think I could have pushed it up a bit more." She and three other British runners were also awarded third place in the team competition.

Family and autobiography

Radcliffe took a break through the 2006 season owing to injuries and in July announced that she was expecting her first child. Her comeback was further delayed in 2007 as a result of a stress fracture in her lower back.

Radcliffe chose not to defend her world marathon crown in 2007, in order to undertake further rehabilitation, but insisted she wanted to compete in the next two Olympics. She made her return to competitive running on 30 September 2007, taking part in the BUPA Great North Run in the UK on Tyneside. This was her first race in almost two years. Radcliffe finished second behind US runner Kara Goucher.

Radcliffe made her marathon return at the New York City Marathon on 4 November 2007 which she won with an official time of 2:23:09.

Radcliffe released an autobiography in 2007, ''Paula: My Story So Far''.

2008–09: Beijing Olympics and fitness problems

Radcliffe withdrew from the 2008 London Marathon due to a foot injury. Shortly after the London Marathon, it was also revealed that Radcliffe was suffering from an injury to her hip, preventing her from running. Originally thought to be a muscular problem, scans later revealed it was a stress fracture to her femur. In May, Radcliffe broke her left leg.

Radcliffe managed to get to fitness level for the 2008 Summer Olympics, but cramped during the marathon to the point where she had to stop running and stretch. She resumed the race and finished in 23rd place overall.

Radcliffe won the 2008 New York City Marathon, making it her third victory at the competition with a time of 2:23:56. Russian Lyudmila Petrova came in second, and American Kara Goucher took third.

Following the New York Marathon, Radcliffe suffered more injury setbacks: she had to withdraw from the 2009 London Marathon due to a fractured toe. In March that year, she had a bunion removed which doctors believed was the root cause of her other injuries at that time. She did not run competitively for almost 10 months, but made herself available for inclusion in the 2009 British team for the World Championships in Athletics. She announced that the New York City Half Marathon would be a testing ground for her fitness before the competition.

Radcliffe went on to win the New York City Half Marathon in 1:09:45, two seconds off the course record. However, after this she pulled out of the World Championships as she felt unfit, and she missed the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham due to a bout of tonsillitis. She returned to action at the 2009 New York City Marathon but failed to notch her third consecutive victory, instead fading to fourth place with knee problems.

Following an 19-month layoff that included the birth of second child, she returned to action at the Bupa London 10 km, where she finished 3rd, 55 seconds behind the winner, Jo Pavey. Radcliffe called the performance "a bit of a disaster", and indicated she was suffering from a tear in a one of the discs of her back.

In June she announced that she would be making her marathon comeback at the Berlin Marathon in September, in hopes that she will run a British qualifying time for the Olympics in 2012.

Other achievements and awards

Awarded the BBC London Sports Awards 2003 for 'Sporting Moment of the Year'. Radcliffe has set numerous records, official and unofficial, on the track and the roads. As of November 2009, she holds the official world record for 10 km on roads. She has twice won the World Half-Marathon championships, twice the World Cross-Country championships (in 2001 and 2002), and in December 2003 became European Cross-Country champion for the second time, the only woman to have achieved this feat in the event's ten-year history. In 2004 Radcliffe joined with Jonathan Edwards on an ''Olympic Special Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''. The pair raised £64,000 for charity, half of that sum going to the British Olympic Association and a quarter of the sum going to Asthma UK.

Nominated for the Sports Personality Award in 2007.

Won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year award in early 2008 for her performances in 2007.

Anti doping

Radcliffe has frequently made high-profile condemnations of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics, most famously at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton in 2001. Radcliffe and team-mate Hayley Tullett held up a sign protesting against the reinstatement of Russian athlete Olga Yegorova after Yegorova had tested positive for the banned substance EPO. Radcliffe also wears a red ribbon when competing to show her support for blood testing as a method of catching drugs cheats.

Personal life

Radcliffe married her coach, Northern Irish former international 1,500 m runner Gary Lough. in April 2000 in Bedford. At age 33, she gave birth to her first child. Her daughter Isla was born on 17 January 2007 at 9:43 a.m. at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco after a 27-hour labour. Her second child, a son, Raphael, was born on 29 September 2010.

Achievements

!Year	!Tournament	!Venue	!Result	!Event
1991	World Junior Cross Country Championships	Antwerp, Belgium		Junior Cross Country
1992	World Junior Cross Country Championships	Boston, USA		Junior Cross Country
1992		Seoul, South Korea		3000 m
1993	World Cross Country Championships	Amorebieta, Spain		Cross Country
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany		3000 m
1995	World Cross Country Championships	Durham, England		Cross Country
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden		5000 m
1995	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Monaco		3000 m
1996	World Cross Country Championships	Stellenbosch, South Africa		Cross Country
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, USA		5000 m
1996	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Milan, Italy		5000 m
1997	World Cross Country Championships	Turin, Italy		Cross Country
1997		Munich, Germany		3000 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece
1997	IAAF Grand Prix Final			5000 m
1998	World Cross Country Championships	Marrakech, Morocco		Cross Country
1998		St. Petersburg, Russia		5000 m
1998		Budapest, Hungary		10000 m
1999	World Cross Country Championships	Belfast, Northern Ireland		Cross Country
1999		Paris, France		5000 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain		10000 m
1999	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Munich, Germany		3000 m
2000	World Cross Country Championships	Vilamoura, Portugal		Short Cross Country
2000	World Cross Country Championships	Vilamoura, Portugal		Long Cross Country
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia		10000 m
2000	World Half Marathon Championships	Veracruz, Mexico		Half Marathon
2001	World Cross Country Championships	Ostend, Belgium		Short Cross Country
2001	World Cross Country Championships	Ostend, Belgium		Long Cross Country
2001		Bremen, Germany		5000 m
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada		10000 m
2001	Bristol Half Marathon	Bristol, England		Half Marathon
2002	World Cross Country Championships	Dublin, Republic of Ireland		Long Cross Country
2002	London Marathon	London, England		Marathon
2002	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, England		5000 m
2002		Munich, Germany		10000 m
2002	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, USA		Marathon
2003	London Marathon	London, England		Marathon
2003	World Half Marathon Championships	Vilamoura, Portugal		Half Marathon
2003	Great North Run	Tyne and Wear, England		Half Marathon
2004		Bydgoszcz, Poland		5000 m
2004	New York City Marathon	New York, USA		Marathon
2005	London Marathon	London, England		Marathon
2005	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland		Marathon
2007	Great North Run	Tyne and Wear, England		Half Marathon
2007	New York City Marathon	New York, USA		Marathon
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China		Marathon
2008	New York City Marathon	New York, USA		Marathon
2009	New York City Half Marathon	New York, USA		Half Marathon
2009	New York City Marathon	New York, USA		Marathon

Personal bests

1992 2:05.22 2:47.17 4:05.37 4:24.94 5:37.01+ 8:22.20 9:17.4 11:35.21+ 14:29.11 30:01.09 14:57+ 19:51+ 24:47+ ''24:05+'' 30:21 ''46:41+'' ''50:01+'' ''1:02.21+'' ''1:05:40'' ''1:20.36+'' ''1:36:36+'' ''1:43:33+'' 2:15:25

Surface	! Event	! Time	! Date	! Place	! Extra
rowspan=11	Track	400 m	58.9	|
800 m	|	1995
1000 m	|	1993
1500 m	|	1 July 2001	Glasgow, Scotland, UK
1 Mile	|	14 August 1996	Zürich, Switzerland
2000 m	|	29 August 1993	Sheffield, England, UK
3000 m	|	19 July 2002	Monaco	UK records in athletics>UK Women's record
2 Miles	|	23 May 1999	Loughborough, England, UK
4000 m	|
5000 m	|	20 June 2004	Bydgoszcz, Poland	UK records in athletics>UK Women's record
10 000 m	|	6 August 2002	Munich, Germany	Sixth best performance ever
rowspan=13	Road	5 km	|	2 September 2001	London, England, UK
4 Miles	|
5 Miles	|
8 km	|			''Women's World best (unratifiable)''
10 km	|	23 February 2003	San Juan, Puerto Rico>San Juan, Puerto Rico	World records in athletics>Women's World record (road)
15 km	|	''7 October 2001''	''Bristol, England, UK''	UK records in athletics>UK Women's record (unratifiable) Downhill''
10 Miles	|	''13 October 2002''	''Chicago, USA''	''Women's World best (unratifiable) Downhill''
20 km	|	''21 September 2003''	Newcastle upon Tyne>Newcastle - South Shields, England, UK''	''Women's World best (unratifiable) Downhill''
Half marathon	|	''21 September 2003''	Newcastle upon Tyne>Newcastle - South Shields, UK''	''Women's World best (unratifiable) Downhill''
25 km	|	''13 April 2003''	''London, England, UK''	''Women's World best (unratifiable)''
30 km	|	''13 April 2003''	''London, England, UK''	''Women's World best (unratifiable)''
20 Miles	|	''13 April 2003''	''London, England, UK''	''Women's World best (unratifiable)''
Marathon	|	13 April 2003	London, England, UK	Women's World record

See also

Long-distance track event

References

Bibliography

''Paula: My Story So Far'' (Paula Radcliffe with David Walsh) ISBN 0-7432-5242-X

Further reading

Paula Radcliffe 'bionic' kit, (August 14, 2005)

Paula Radcliffe: One Track Mind, (April 16, 2005)

Paula Radcliffe: Long Road Back, (October 31, 2004)

Paula Radcliffe: Failing to finish at the 2004 Olympic Games, (August 22, 2004)

Paula Radcliffe: Journey from Disappointing Fourth to Dominant First, (June, 2004)

Paula Radcliffe: Escorting Paula, (April, 2003)

Paula Radcliffe: A Guardian interview about drug use in sport, (August 20, 2001)

External links

Paula Radcliffe Official Website

SPIKES Hero profile on www.spikesmag.com

"Paula Radcliffe", n°31 on ''Time''’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"

Catherine Ndereba|title=Women's Marathon World Record Holder|years=13 October 2002 – |after=Incumbent}} David Beckham |after= Jonny Wilkinson|years=2002}} Stacy Dragila|after= Hestrie Cloete|years=2002}} Olga Yegorova|title=Women's 5,000 m Best Year Performance|years=2002|after= Berhane Adere}} Catherine Ndereba Yoko Shibui|title=Women's Fastest Marathon Race |years=2002 – 20032005|after= Yoko Shibui Deena Kastor}}

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Loughborough University Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for England Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Category:BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners Category:British long-distance runners Category:English athletes Category:English expatriates Category:English expatriates in Monaco Category:Marathon runners Category:London Marathon winners Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Olympic athletes of Great Britain Category:People from Bedford (district) Category:People from Davenham Category:Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award winners Category:World record holders in athletics (track and field) Category:Chicago Marathon winners Category:New York City Marathon winners

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Name	Joan Benoit
Fullname	Joan Benoit Samuelson
Nationality	American
Birth date	May 16, 1957
Birth place	Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Residence	Freeport, Maine
Height
Weight
Country
Sport	Track and field athletics
Event	Marathon
Olympics	1984
Medaltemplates	}}

}} Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the year that the women's marathon was introduced. As a result she was the first ever women's Olympic marathon champion. Benoit Samuelson still holds the fastest times for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon and the Olympic Marathon. Her time at the Boston Marathon was the fastest time by an American woman at that race for 28 years.

Early life and Boston Marathon victory

Born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, of French and Scandinavian ancestry, Benoit took to long-distance running to help recover from a broken leg suffered while slaloming. At Bowdoin College she excelled in athletics and then entered the 1979 Boston Marathon as a relative unknown. She won the race, wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, in 2:35:15, knocking eight minutes off the competition record. She repeated that success with a victory again in 1983 that took more than two minutes off the world's best time, set by Grete Waitz in the London Marathon just the day before, despite having had surgery on her Achilles tendons two years earlier. Her Boston course record of 2:22:43, set in 1983, was not broken for another 11 years.

Olympic success

In March 1984, Benoit injured her knee severely during a 20 mile training run, forcing her to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery just 17 days before the United States Olympic Women's Marathon Trials were scheduled. However, she recovered from the surgery much quicker than expected, and showed up at the trials as the woman to beat. She beat runner-up Julie Brown by 30 seconds, winning in 2:31:04. Three months later, she competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and won the first Olympic Women's Marathon in 2:24:52, several hundred meters ahead of Grete Waitz, Rosa Mota, and Ingrid Kristiansen, all considered legends in their own rights.

Benoit enjoyed success at non-marathon distances as well, winning the prestigious Falmouth Road Race (7.1 miles) a total of six times (1976, 1978, 1981–1983, and 1985), breaking the course record on four of those occasions.

Although she won the 1985 Chicago marathon, defeating Kristiansen and Mota in an American Record time of 2:21:21 (that would last as the AR for 18 years until broken by Deena Kastor in 2003 in London), Benoit was hampered in the years after her Olympic victory by injuries and struggled to compete in major races. She received the 1985 James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

After retirement

Since her retirement from competitive running, she has written books including ''Running Tide'' and ''Running for Women'', and has opened a running clinic. She is also a coach to women's cross-country and long-distance athletes, and is a motivational speaker and sports commentator. She founded the Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, a 10 km (6.21 mile) race held in Cape Elizabeth, Maine each August that goes from Crescent Beach State Park to Fort Williams Park and Portland Head Light. The race attracts many of the world's top distance runners. Elite runners often run this race and then, the following weekend, run the Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Benoit has also won that race several times, and ran it last in 2008, finishing as 28th woman and first in her age group. In 2003, at age 46, Benoit won the Maine half marathon, defeating a field dominated by runners two decades her junior, and she was faster than all but six men overall, finishing in 1:18. In 2006 she helped pace former cycling champion Lance Armstrong as he competed in the New York City Marathon. At the 2008 US Olympic Team trials, at the age of 50, she finished in 2:49:08, setting a new US 50+ record and beating her personal goal of a mid-2:50s retirement marathon. When she ran the New York City Marathon on November 1, 2009, she broke the 50+ division record with a final time of 2:49:09. On October 10, 2010, she ran 2:47:50 for 43rd place at the Chicago Marathon—the site of her American record a quarter century earlier—missing her goal of qualifying for an eighth Olympic Marathon Team Trials race by 1:50, but recording the fastest-ever performance by a woman over 52. Later that month she ran in the Athens Classic Marathon for fun and finished in 3:02, the slowest time of her career, but she was not fully healed from her Chicago performance. In April 2011, Joan competed in the Boston Marathon, completing the course in 2:51:29 and placing 1st in her age group.

Benoit resides in Freeport, Maine. She is featured on the Nike+ iPod system as one of the congratulatory voices, along with others including Lance Armstrong. Benoit and husband Scott Samuelson have two children, daughter Abby and son Anders.

Notable achievements

All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

{| |- !colspan="5"|Representing the |- |1978 |Bermuda Marathon |Bermuda |style="background: silver" | 2nd |2:50:54 |- |1979 |Boston Marathon |Boston, United States |style="background: gold" | 1st |2:35:15 |- |1980 |Auckland Marathon |Auckland, New Zealand |style="background: gold" | 1st |2:31:23 |- |1981 |Boston Marathon |Boston, United States |style="background: #cc9966" | 3rd |2:30:17 |- |1982 |Nike OTC Marathon |Eugene, United States |style="background: gold" | 1st |2:26:12 |- |1983 |Boston Marathon |Boston, United States |style="background: gold" | 1st |2:22:43 |- |1984 |Summer Olympics |Los Angeles, United States |style="background: gold" | 1st |2:24:52 |- |1985 |Chicago Marathon |Chicago, United States |style="background: gold"|1st |2:21:21 |- |1988 |New York City Marathon |New York City, United States |style="background: #cc9966"| 3rd |2:32:40 |- |1991 |Boston Marathon |Boston, United States |style="background: white"| 4th |2:26:54 |- |1991 |New York City Marathon |New York City, United States |style="background: white"|6th |2:33:49 |}

References

Grete Waitz|title=Women's marathon world record holder|years=April 18, 1983 – April 21, 1985|after= Ingrid Kristiansen}} Marja Wokke|title=Women's half marathonworld record holder|years=1981-01-18 – 1982-05-15|after= Grete Waitz}} Grete Waitz|title=Women's half marathonworld record holder|years=1983-09-18 – 1989-03-19|after= Ingrid Kristiansen}}

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:People from Freeport, Maine Category:People from Cape Elizabeth, Maine Category:American long-distance runners Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:James E. Sullivan Award recipients Category:Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Bowdoin College alumni Category:Marathon runners Category:National Distance Running Hall of Fame inductees Category:Boston Marathon winners Category:Chicago Marathon winners Category:Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)

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