California Track & Running News Sept–Oct 2013, Volume 39 NUMBER 3 | Page 19

CTRN-SeptOCT2013__Layout 1 9/18/13 11:16 AM Page 19

JOAN BENOIT SAMUELSON
Joan Benoit Samuelson’s name is synonymous with
women’s running, particularly marathoning. She
began running track in high school in the town of
Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Samuelson continued on to
Bowdoin College, where her career soared. She received All-American honors in cross country and
track, and won the Boston Marathon in 1979, setting both American and course records, all before
she graduated. Samuelson won the Boston
Marathon again in 1983, this time breaking the
world record. One year later, at the age of 27, she
won the inaugural U.S. Women’s Olympic
Marathon Trials race, followed by a gold medal in
the first women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles. In 1985, Samuelson won the Chicago Marathon
in 2:21:21, yet another AR and her personal best.
Currently, she is a consultant to Nike, Inc. and
a clinician, conducting numerous running, health,
and fitness clinics throughout the world. Samuelson is also an experienced motivational speaker,
giving regular addresses to corporations, civic
groups, schools, and athletes. She has authored
two books, her autobiography Running Tide
(Knopf, 1987), and Joan Samuelson’s Running for
Women (Rodale Press, 1995).
In 1998 Samuelson founded the TD Beach to
Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine as a way to
give back to the sport which has given her so much.
The race motto started as “Shine the Light on
Kids,” and the event benefits a different children’s
charity each year.
Joe Henderson: Joan, tell us about your surgery
before the 1984 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials [in Olympia, WA], and your concerns about
getting there. Most of the people here have probably heard it, but not in your own words.

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continued on page 20

“My first major
national running
meet was the 1973
AAU Cross Country
nationals