When I was just starting out and interested only in capturing the running world I was immersed in around me (hey, it was without question the glory days of distance running and I was in mecca) I stumbled down to Hayward Field for the Nike OTC marathon on a typical Oregon Sunday morning. As you can see it was a miserable and rainy day, but Joan Benoit (not yet Samuelson) didn't care as she blazed to what was then an American Best in 2:26:11.
After moving to Maine a couple years ago, and having Joanie run up behind me on the roads, initiating a friendship and a continuing training partnership, I went through my old scrapbooks and there she was - three images I had snapped at the finish line of her victory.
And here we are 28 years later. I'm still snapping pictures of her (Runner's World magazine Heroes issue 2008) and she's still setting records.
ABOVE is the most recent picture I've taken of her, standing on an ice floe near her home in Maine - just down the road from mine.
Of course I missed the 26 years in between when she went on to an Olympic gold medal and world record.
TODAY SHE SET AN AMERICAN RECORD FOR 50+ WOMEN IN THE CHERRY BLOSSOM 10 MILER IN D.C. IN A BLAZING 1:00:52 (that's about 6:05 per mile!)
Wow! This is a great career I've chosen. Hers is not too bad either.
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