We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back, Joan Benoit Samuelson completed all six World Marathon Majors, earning her final star at age 66. The first ever Olympic women’s marathon champion finished the Tokyo Marathon in 3:38:37, continuing several decades of high level distance running performances, including her victories at the Boston Marathon in 1979 and 1983, and at Chicago in 1985.
In 2022, Benoit Samuelson completed her fifth marathon major and won her age group in the process, finishing the London Marathon in 3:20:20. The distance runner caught the world’s attention when she won the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in 1984, and that was just the start. After her 1985 win at the Chicago Marathon, she held the fastest time for an American woman on that course for 32 years, and her Boston Marathon performance remained the pinnacle for American women there for 28 years.
She’s the only woman in the world to have run sub-3 hour marathons across five consecutive decades, from 1979 to 2010. She came very close to extending that to six decades when she ran a time of 3:02 at the 2019 Berlin Marathon, and her PR of 2:21:21 is still the eighth-fastest ever by an American woman on a record-eligible course.
In an Instagram recap of Sunday’s race, Benoit Samuelson wrote, “Unfinished business finally completed thanks to a little help from my friends in the global running community. Feeling at home in all lands with the Abbott World Marathon Majors.”
The running icon wasn’t the only masters runner making history at the Tokyo Marathon though. Mariko Yugeta—the first woman over 60 to ever go sub-3 for 26.2 miles—clocked a time of 3:01:28 at age 65. Age-graded, that translates to a 2:10:54 marathon, according to Japan Running News. At the halfway point, Yugeta came through in 1:29:05 (including the 19 seconds it took her to get to the start line) and at 35K, she was on track for a sub-3 performance but lost some ground over the final 7.1K.
Regardless, that’s a remarkable feat and a single-age world record. Yugeta has been a longtime fan of Benoit Samuelson’s and was pregnant when she watched the American runner win the 1984 Olympic marathon; seeing her lift her arms in victory that day inspired her. The pair Shoes & Gear, and Yugeta had tears in her eyes as they exchanged a meaningful handshake back then. Yesterday, they were reacquainted, and were pictured Races & Places.
Editor’s note: An earlier version incorrectly stated Benoit Samuelson’s time as 3:42:18. That has been updated to the correct chip time of 3:38:37.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The running icon wasnt the only masters runner making history at the Tokyo Marathon though, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
