Joan Benoit Samuelson is coming back to run the La Salle Banks Chicago Marathon, her first marathon as a Masters (40 and over) entrant.
Samuelson, 40, the 1984 Olympic marathon champion, said Tuesday she had entered the Oct. 19 race because it is “a runner-friendly race, and I am into low-pressure marathoning.”
This will be Samuelson’s first marathon since the Olympic trials in February, 1996, when she finished 13th in 2 hours, 36 minutes, 54 seconds.
In 1985, Samuelson won the Chicago Marathon in 2:21.21, still the U.S. women’s record and the second fastest ever behind the world record of 2:21:06 set by Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen.
Samuelson also ran the Chicago Marathon in 1994 to get the qualifying time necessary for the 1996 Olympic trials. She finished sixth in 2:37:09.
