Joan Benoit Samuelson
Joan Benoit Samuelson at Bowdoin College. Photo: Maine Historical Society.
Known affectionately to Mainers as Joanie, Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American long-distance runner originally from Cape Elizabeth, widely regarded as one of the greatest marathoners in U.S. history.
She rose to national prominence by winning the Boston Marathon in 1979 and again in 1983, setting a world record in the 1983 race. Her most historic achievement came in 1984, when she won the first-ever women's Olympic marathon at the Los Angeles Games — just seventeen days after undergoing knee surgery. This extraordinary achievement made her a defining figure in the growth of women's distance running, an event that had only been added to the Olympic program after years of advocates arguing women were physically capable of the distance.
She remains deeply connected to Maine, where she grew up and continues to live. She has been involved in local road races, including the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, which she helped found in 1998 and which draws elite international runners to the Maine coast each summer. She continues to compete at an elite level, running competitive marathon times and setting age-group world records along the way.
Samuelson was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame in 1999, the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000, and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008. Her career is often cited as a turning point for women's distance running worldwide, both for the Olympic milestone and for demonstrating the viability of women competing at the highest levels of endurance sport.
