Joan benoit samuelson biography of abraham

1957-

American marathon runner

Distance runner Joan Benoit Samuelson broke the female course record for the Boston Marathon in 1979, then went on to set a record for both the historic New England race and the world in 1983 by running the 26.2-mile marathon distance in a record two hours 22 minutes, 43 seconds.

Samuelson's other achievements, including winning the gold medal as part of the U.S. team in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, have caused many to consider her perhaps the greatest female marathoner of the twentieth century.

A Born Athlete

Samuelson was born Joan Benoit on May 16, 1957, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Although women athletes were almost unheard of during Samuelson's childhood, the athletic Samuelson excelled at sports, particularly skiing, and showed herself to be a fearless competitor. After breaking her leg during a slalom race at age fifteen, she was encouraged to incorporate running as part of her rehabilit