The two greatest American female runners in history will once again race through the streets of Chicago for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, but instead of competing against each other, they will motivate one another.
"Deena inspires me and motivates me," Joan Benoit Samuelson said of Deena Kastor. "As a matter of fact, I was with Deena when she won her first marathon, and I told the press after that race that they were looking at the next American record holder in the marathon. So to pass the baton to Deena, for me, was something special."
Both runners will commemorate the anniversaries of their first-place victories in the Chicago Marathon. In 1985, Benoit Samuelson won the race with a record-breaking time of 2:21:21. Kastor claimed the first-place spot in 2005 with a winning time of 2:21:25.
Kastor also looks up to Benoit Samuelson, saying she "has been a huge inspiration to me the first moment I saw her."
Kastor and Benoit Samuelson share a special place in the record books as the only American women to win an Olympic medal in the marathon. At the ages of 42 and 58, it appears neither one is quite ready to stop chasing history.
"Every time I go out and run a marathon, I try to tell myself a story to motivate myself, so the most logical story to tell with Chicago this year is to try to run within 30 minutes of my record time 30 years ago," Benoit Samuelson said.
Both runners have gotten older, but they continue to set goals to achieve more in their careers. Kastor's personal goal for this year's Chicago Marathon is to run 2:25:00, which she says is "quite lofty."
Local
For both champions, the drive to win the race again remains the ultimate goal.
"I would really like to get on the podium at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon," Kastor said. "It's a great feeling, and I would love to be on it once again."
