Wearing a backwards Red Sox cap and a now-iconic Bowdoin singlet, Joan Benoit Samuelson gained national recognition when she won the Boston Marathon in 1979 as a relative unknown. Five years later, the Cape Elizabeth native became a household name after winning gold in the first ever women's Olympic marathon in 1984.
In recognition of her accomplishments, the Maine Historical Society honored Joan Benoit Samuelson as their 2024 Maine History Maker on Tuesday at a ceremony held at L.L.Bean's headquarters in Freeport.
Benoit Samuelson first began long distance running in the 1970's. Back then, she said many still doubted whether women could physically run 26.2 miles — let alone race at the highest levels of competition.
"Before 1984, the longest distance a woman could run was the 1500 meter [event]," Benoit Samuelson said. "The so-called 'experts' in the sport thought a woman would do bodily harm and never go on to bear children [after running a marathon]."
That all changed at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics which held the first ever Olympic women's marathon. Two-and-a-half weeks before the U.S. Olympic Trials, Benoit Samuelson underwent knee surgery which threatened to end her run before it even started. But she pushed through and made it to race day.
"I remember getting close to the [LA] Coliseum and then entering the tunnel that led into the Coliseum," Benoit Samuelson said. "I was in that darkness for a very, very short time — and all of a sudden, I realized that I might win the first woman's Olympic Marathon."
Benoit Samuelson won the marathon in style: 14 minutes into the race, she pulled ahead from the pack and never let up her position as frontrunner. She finished with a time of 2:24:52 — then the third best time ever run by a woman. Benoit Samuelson became an instant icon with her performance helping legitimize women athletics to millions of viewers.
Over a long career, Benoit Samuelson set multiple world records and collected wins at major marathons. And while winning gold made her world famous, Johanna Wigg said Benoit Samuelson became a legend in Maine for remaining true to her roots and never abandoning her home state.
"[Benoit Samuelson] just set an example that blew the norm out of the water," said Wigg who attended Wednesday's ceremony with her daughter. "I think she's continued to do that throughout her life. She's a great role model."
In 1997, Benoit Samuelson founded the iconic TD Beach to Beacon road race run annually in her hometown of Cape Elizabeth. Today the 10K is the most iconic race in the state and raises over $30,000 each year for Maine charities. She can often be seen cheering on her neighbors at the race's finish line.
But don't let the "history maker" label fool you: Benoit Samuelson is still running today. Just this March, she ran the Tokyo Marathon — the final race she needed to complete all six World Marathon Majors.
"I was [originally] going to end my career in 2008 at the Olympic Marathon trials in Boston," Benoit Samuelson said. "I was 50 at the time and thought, 'What a place to end career: in an Olympic trial where I started my career in 1979.' And I'm just still passionate about the sport."
Benoit Samuelson's story continues to inspire runners — especially young women like Johanna Wigg's young daughter, Estella.
"I want to ask her how she felt after the gold medal race," Estella said. "Because I feel really good after I race, so I was wondering."
