30 Years Later, Marathon Winner Benoit Samuelson Returns to Chicago With Big Goal

"My challenge for this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon is to run within 30 minutes of my fastest marathon"

In 1985, Joan Benoit Samuelson set an American record time of 2:21:21 when she won the Chicago Marathon. Thirty years later, on Oct. 11, she returns to Chicago with another big goal.

"When I crossed the finish line in 1985, I never thought I would be competing in the same marathon 30 years later," Benoit Samuelson said. "My challenge for this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon is to run within 30 minutes of my fastest marathon and 1985 Chicago Marathon finishing time.”

This isn't the first time Benoit Samuelson has set this goal for herself. 

In a 2013 interview with Runner’s World, Benoit Samuelson said, “This year at Boston, if I make it to the starting line, I think it will be the last time I ever put myself under time pressure. It’s 30 years after my 2:22:43, and I’d like to run within 30 minutes of that time.”

Her 2013 Boston Marathon race proved she was more than up for the challenge of commemorating her 1983 win successfully on her terms. Benoit Samuelson finished in an impressive 2:50:29 – more than two minutes faster than the 30-minute window she allowed herself. 

Now in Chicago, Benoit Samuelson puts herself under time pressure once again with her 30-year and 30-minute goal.

Challenging herself to come within 30 minutes of her winning Chicago Marathon time is more ambitious than her 2013 goal in Boston. Her 1985 Chicago race time is one minute and 22 seconds faster than her 1983 Boston Marathon time.

In a sport where seconds separate winners and runners-up, it remains to be seen if she can once again finish the Chicago Marathon with a personal victory.

“My goal has always been to run as fast as I can for as long as I can,” she said. “I continue to challenge myself with new goals and look within myself for the story I want to tell at the race."

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