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'There is no finish line' in life's work, says Olympian
November 16, 2011
Joan Benoit Samuelson speaks to USC students, faculty and staff at the Russell House.
Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson, a featured speaker for a Nov. 3 talk at USC, was a guest at the reception honoring members of the Arnold School of Public Health's Milestone Society.
The event, held at the President's House, was hosted by USC President and Mrs. Harris Pastides.
The Milestone Society was established to recognize donors who contribute $1,000 or more to the Arnold School. Honorees included Dr. Royce H. Adams, Dr. Cheryl Addy, Mr. and Mrs. Norman J. Arnold, Dr. Steven N. Blair, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph R. Blanchard, Ms. Louisa T. Campbell, Dr. George Thomas Chandler, Congressman James E. Clyburn and Mrs. Emily Clyburn, Dr. and Mrs. William A. Cooper Jr., Dr. J. Larry Durstine, Dr. James R. Hébert, Dr. Elmer R. Hermann Jr., Ms. Janet Stanton Keith, Dr. Betty Hahneman Kolb, Mrs. Julie Smithwick-Leone and Mr. Andres F. Leone, Dr. Hiram L. McDade III, Dr. Robert E. McKeown, Dr. and Mrs. Allen A. Montgomery, Mr. Brett L. Netherton, Ms. Mary Elizabeth Newton, Ms. Jennifer L. Dumont and Mr. David S. Pankau, Dr. Russell R. Pate, Dr. Donna L. Richter, Dr. and Mrs. Michael E. Samuels, Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Tkacik, Mr. and Mrs. M. Thomas Webber Jr., Dr. Harriet Williams and Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Michael Yarab.
Samuelson talked about her life as an Olympian and her advocacy for fitness and health. She was the first to win the Olympic Women's Marathon when it was introduced at the 1984 Olympic games held in Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for Nike Inc., she said the company's campaign "There Is No Finish Line" piqued her interest. "I run races to find the finish line," she said. "I've lived that."
Yet, as the years have passed, she said she continues to find "there's a new reason to keep going … a new goal I've set for myself."
Many people might not think "marathon runner" and "Olympian" when they see the woman with a small frame, warm smile and expressive eyes. In a sport mostly dominated by women with more height and longer legs, Samuelson is an anomaly. A video about Samuelson and her life describes the runner as being without the "genetic gifts" bestowed upon many of the current runners. In a world of "Maserati and Lamborghini" runners, Samuleson would be a "Yugo," according to the film.
But Dr. Russ Pate, a professor in the Arnold School's department of exercise science and a marathon runner, said Samuelson is "the classiest Yugo you'll ever meet."
And certainly one of the fastest.
Although Grete Waitz of Norway was favored to win the gold medal in the Olympic women's marathon in 1984, Samuelson gained the lead three miles into the race and never gave it up. As the young woman from Maine entered the tunnel leading to the L.A. Coliseum, Samuelson wondered if she would be prepared for her future. "I thought 'what can I do that is meaningful.' "
Since then, she's run and won more races, authored two books and led a busy life as a wife and mother of a daughter and a son. She travels to give motivational talks on health and fitness, and she's a leading role model in the running world and women's athletics. She founded the TD Bank 10K in 1998 in Maine as a way to give back to the sport that she loves. The race, which attracts more than 6,000 runners annually, benefits a different children's charity each year. More than 10,000 spectators attend every year.
She wants children to enjoy physical activity and stresses that "you don't have to run marathons to be a runner."
In addition to fitness and health, Samuelson is passionate about protecting the environment. "We must find better ways to recycle. There is no finish line. There's always something we can do better."
The Arnold School and the Department of Exercise Science sponsored her visit to campus.
