Marathon legend Benoit Samuelson speaks at Celebrating Women Athletics Luncheon

Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon champion who took home the gold medal with a time of 2:24:52 at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles – nearly 90 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher – thrilled a packed house at the Events Center at Binghamton University on Feb. 4.

Benoit Samuelson spoke of passion, patience, perseverance and persistence – her four Ps – at the 14th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank and hosted by the Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA).

“As a standout marathoner of her generation, Joan Benoit Samuelson has helped make this sport more popular for generations of women,” said Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, who noted that Benoit Samuelson even joined him and several students on a short run “that turned into a 4 ½-mile, ‘Can-I-keep-up-with-Joan?’ run this morning.”

Also a two-time Boston Marathon champion, winning in her Boston debut in 1979, and again in 1983, with a time of 2:22.43 that held the course record for 28 years, Benoit Samuelson’s 1985 record-breaking time of 2:21:21 in the Chicago Marathon stood for 32 years and remains the fifth-fastest U.S. time on record.

Now 61, Benoit Samuelson – called a marathon legend by Stenger – is still running and breaking records in several masters age groups.

“If you have the four Ps as an athlete, you can accomplish anything you set your heart on,” Benoit Samuelson told the record-breaking crowd. “Follow your heart and live your dreams.”

Noting that she was lucky to have started high school the year Title IX kicked in, rather than before, Benoit Samuelson told the audience to be open to all the roads ahead and “run your own race.”

“You can have coaches, professors, trainers and community members to support you, but you have to take charge of that by yourself and lean on those who care about you,” she said.

Still passionate about running, Benoit Samuelson said the marathon is “truly a metaphor for life. I have no clue what’s around the next bend for me, but I have a passion and desire to better myself as a human being and balance my life.”

Her career has seen her inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 1998, the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004 and the USATF Masters Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2017, a plaque honoring her was unveiled in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s Court of Honor, where she won her 1984 Olympic gold medal.

“I will never run as fast as I did in the ’80s, but I still have stories to tell,” said Benoit Samuelson, as she recalled her gold medal marathon run. “I broke out of the pack, found my stride and ran my own race,” even as commentators were saying she went out too fast. “I was in my comfort zone and don’t know where those miles went, but they went by very quickly. I paused for a moment when I entered the arena to question, ‘Do you know what you’re doing to carry that mantle?’ When I crossed the finish line and did my victory lap with a flag stapled to a broom stick, the first thing my mom said was, ‘Now you can quit!’ and I said, ‘I’ll quit if you quit smoking!’”

Her mom quit smoking 30-plus years ago and now exercises regularly, but Benoit Samuelson continues to run, and is keeping a promise to herself that she made when she won Olympic gold: “I promised to make sure that the moment in time didn’t change the person I was. I went back to a state and a sport and a community that had given so much to me.”

Benoit Samuelson is a storyteller, and reminded the audience that each and every one of them has their own story to tell and that can inspire others. For her, running is accessible, affordable, inclusive and a lifetime sport. “You will always have a team in the sport of running,” she said. “Chart your own courses, believe in yourselves and live those dreams.”

In addition to her running, Benoit Samuelson currently coaches women’s cross-country and long-distance athletes, and is a motivational speaker and sports commentator.

She also established an annual fundraiser in her home community of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, – the TD Beach to Beacon 10K – to benefit charities and support children – “our most valuable resource.”

Benoit Samuelson follows a number of internationally known female athletes who have spoken at the luncheon, including Shannon Boxx, soccer (2018); Swin Cash, basketball (2017); Amy Van Dyken, swimming (2016); Rebecca Lobo, basketball (2015); Jennie Finch, softball (2014); Shannon Miller, gymnastics (2013); Amanda Beard, swimming (2012); Julie Foudy, soccer (2011); Kara Lawson, basketball (2010); and Jessica Mendoza, softball (2009).

Held annually since 2006 to recognize the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon has raised more than $450,000 to support the BBAA Women’s Scholarship Fund. Established in 2007, the fund awarded 10 scholarships to female student-athletes in 2018. The luncheon, which began in 2006, with just 75 attendees, is today one of the Athletics Department’s primary fundraisers.

Prior to Benoit Samuelson’s talk, luncheon attendees heard current Bearcat student-athlete Erin Schultz, a senior volleyball player from Texas, speak.

A perfectionist who sometimes struggled with anxiety and depression, Shultz said an “amazing trainer” reminded her she was human and didn’t have to be perfect.

“Only recently have I found peace and I’m grateful for the support of those around me,” Shultz added. “I’m proud to be part of the bigger picture that the Student Association Advisory Committee has made and will continue to make for student-athletes to be more physically and mentally healthy.

“Every moment in this life is precious and I have new hopes and dreams ahead,” Shultz said. “I’ve made lifelong friends here who will join alongside me as I chase down my dreams.”