Island 10K star to go for new marathon record

Joan Benoit Samuelson is best known to the world for being the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in a marathon, when she topped the field in Los Angeles in 1984 with a time of 2:24:52. It was the first year that women competed in an Olympic marathon.

A number of races and public appearances leading up to the 38th annual Shelter Island 10K/5K Run/Walk on June 17 have blocked Ms. Samuelson from commenting about her newest challenge, but expect to hear more from her when she hits town.

Ms. Samuelson holds a special place in the hearts of local residents for returning here year after year for the Island’s most significant sporting event.

Recently celebrating her 60th birthday, an age at which many runners might be cutting back on their goals, Ms. Samuelson has this year set her sights on running a marathon in less than three hours — a feat not accomplished by any woman at her age.

Runner’s World magazine carried a recent feature about her goals, noting that at 53, Ms. Samuelson had run a marathon at 2:47:50. And at 55, she secured the 55-59 world record at 2:50:33 that still stands in that age group.
The current record for a runner between the ages of 60 and 64 is held by New Zealander Bernie Portenski at 3:01:30.

Ms. Samuelson has her sights set on the October 8 Chicago Marathon to try to beat Mr. Portenski’s time.