Joan Benoit Samuelson enters Landover nationals in 3K

At 51, Joan still rocks.

With the final late-entry deadline at midnight Pacific time tonight, at least 850 athletes are signed up for the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Landover, Maryland — a record for a meet that marks its 35th anniversary this year. We already know Henry Rono is coming. But a lady legend has entered as well — Joan Benoit Samuelson, who in 1984 won the first women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles.  Bob Weiner says she’ll travel down from her home in Maine to run the 3000 in the W50 age group. It’ll be a kick for her compatriots to run with the champ. Just in case anyone is wondering, the listed age group world indoor record for 3K is 10:06.36 by Spain’s Aurora Perez in 2008. The listed American record is

10:23.84 by Kathryn Martin at Boston nationals in 2004. (And Kathy will probably run in the same race — as a W55 entrant on Friday, March 20.) But no pressure, Joanie (even though you submitted a seed time of 10:05)! Just go and have fun!

  Joanie was some runner in the 1970s and 1980s. And she still is.

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March 5, 2009

3 Responses

  1. peter taylor - March 5, 2009

    Latest count of entrants is 901….now looks like we will end up with 930 or so. We are so far ahead of the old record (849) that it’s getting ridiculous. Would be like a duel between Bill Collins and me in the 200 (quite a gap).
    Will be my honor to announce Joan Benoit Samuelson for the second time in my career.
    PLT

  2. satch - March 5, 2009

    im fit and ready for nationals-

  3. Fernando Marquina (Masters RFEA) - March 7, 2009

    Aurora Perez
    World Indoor Record W-50 800m
    Zaragoza 28-02-2009
    2:24.49

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