Bernardine Portenski: the best runner you’ve never heard of
If Bernardine Portenski lived in New York, Boston or Los Angeles, she’d be a national hero. Instead, she lives in a place called Wellington on a remote island nation southeast of Australia — and barely rates a whisper in masters track. But she’s the real deal. Last month, when Bernie (as she calls herself) wrote me to inquire about the 5K and 10K world records for W60, I didn’t give it much thought. Think again, Ken. On January 5, at the New Zealand national 10K track championships in Tauranga, Bernie clocked 39:47.43 — the No. 2 time in history for her age group. (See results here.) The only better mark on record is the listed WR of 39:21.1 by Aussie Theresia Baird in 2001.
Bernie’s only masters competition comes from the guys, but barely.
On further study, I note that Bernie is the listed W50 world record holder at 10K (although the Eurovets list a faster woman) and tops the W55 all-time world rankings at mastersathletics.net. So my bad for not recognizing her.
Certainly she’s a superstar in New Zealand, which covered her 60th birthday (she celebrated by running 60 kilometers — about 37 miles!)
In any case, Bernie is far from done this summer (Down Under).
She wrote me in December that she was making runs at 5K and 10K world records and last week she told me about her 10K. “I shall be running another 10K (on February 27), so hopefully will do a bit better.” She also is shooting for a 3000-meter best and a 5K “sometime soon,” she says.
About her Tauranga race: There was a strong headwind on the back stretch, and she averaged just under 4 minutes per kilometer (or 6:30 per mile).
So thanks for checking in, Bernie, and go get ’em the rest of TwentyTen!
4 Responses
She’s great. She’s been around for years. Way to go!!!
Congrats Bernie. A good friend of mine, who is also a Kiwi, Sharon Higgins has raved about your running over the years.
Bernie is a living legend and my biggest running inspiration. This woman is hardcore – you mark my words she’ll have bagged WR’s for 3k through to the marathon before the years out. Keep a close eye on the Rotorua marathon results later on this year as I’d put money on her doing a marathon world record there this year for the vet60 age group. She did 3.07 last year which would have beaten the existing WR by over 6mins. Oh and how did Bernie celebrate her 60th birthday?….by running 60km with an entourage of her friends. Simply amazing.
Looks like she got the half and marathon record – the later at the gold coast marathon:
http://results.au.eventdirector.net/View.asp?EventID=3981&Bib=M0073
Half marathon at Christchurch on 6 June 2010:
http://results.nz.eventdirector.net/View.asp?EventID=3718&Bib=2532
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