1984 Olympic Women's Marathon Champion Joan Benoit Samuelson On Using Running As Storytelling; Completing All Six World Marathon Majors At 66 Years Old

“It's through storytelling that I keep myself going… I've been blessed to be able to stick with it all these years. I had a partial knee replacement in the middle of COVID and we waited until I found a surgeon who told me that I'd run again… When you set your sights on something, it's hard to let go. I always try to finish what I start. I was on that six-star journey and I wanted to complete it.”

Joan Benoit Samuelson is a legend in our sport. The first-ever Olympic women’s marathon champion, two-time Boston Marathon champion (1979 & 1983), 1985 Chicago Marathon champion and former American record holder is still running and inspiring at 66 years old. In March, she finally received her Abbott World Marathon Major six star medal after completing the Tokyo Marathon in 3:38:37.

Before the pandemic, Benoit Samuelson was looking to extend her sub-three hour marathon streak across six decades. She ran 3:02:21 at the 2019 Berlin Marathon and then underwent a partial right knee replacement surgery in 2020. Two years ago, she ran 3:20:20 at the London Marathon and won her respective age group.

I had the pleasure of catching her for a bit while in Boston, where she was on-site as an ambassador for Abbott. In this conversation, we talk about how she continues to utilize running as storytelling, her mark on the sport, how she’s inspired so many women and a little bit about what’s next after completing all six World Marathon Majors.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host: Joan Benoit Samuelson | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@joanbenoitsamuelson on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Time stamps:

4:48 - How she’s feeling after becoming a World Marathon Majors Six Star finisher.

6:02 - How she finds the motivation to continue training + how she goes about goal setting.

8:25 - The story she wants to begin writing for herself now that the Six Stars are accomplished.

10:10 - How she inspires others through sharing her story.

15:04 - Her relationship with other elite women marathoners.

16:44 - Her philosophy on running + what the sport means to her.

18:20 - Her relationship with the running community.

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