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 Connect with Lindsey: Lindsey on Instagram Lindsey on Twitter Lindsey on Facebook Join the I’ll Have Another Facebook Group Support the I’ll Have Another Podcast on Patreon Follow SandyBoy Productions: Sandyboy Productions on Twitter Sandyboy Productions on Instagram SandyBoy Productions Shows: Why is Everyone Yelling? The Up and Running Podcast The Illuminate Podcast The Herban Farmacy Podcast The Ready to Run Podcast Sponsors: Goodr Use code “another” for free shipping Donna Marathon Use code “Lindsey10” to save 10% off their races