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Learning from a Legend: Joan Benoit-Samuelson

On August 28th, 2008 I had the privilege to interview Joan Benoit-Samuelson from her beautiful home state of Maine. Joan is one of the most successful athletes in any sport over a span of four different decades. Her athletic resume’ includes the 1984 Olympic marathon gold medal, two Boston Marathon titles, a Chicago Marathon victory and the Columbus marathon title. Joan has held multiple World Records, numerous U.S. records and is presently a member of many hall of fames. Based on both Joan’s success and her ability to stay healthy enough to compete at a world-class level into her 50’s, Joan has become an icon to athletes at all ages. As a fellow Baby Boomer, I wanted to learn from this athletic legend what keeps her tickin’ so I could share her priceless advice with my readers. 1. Why running? Joan’s first love was skiing. This was also the sport she envisioned would take her where she wanted to be in the world of athletics. Growing up in the hearty state of Maine, Joan had two older brothers who supported and challenged her in athletics. During her sophomore year in high school, Joan fractured her leg. She started running as part of her rehab. She grew to appreciate both the sport of running and her success. Joan’s fondness for running was emphasized by her realization that her new sport, compared to skiing, was easy to get started and very accessible. 2. Who are your athletic mentors and how have they impacted your career? Joan’s Uncle, Dr. Dan Hanley, had a huge impact on her success with running as well as her long-term goal of winning an Olympic gold medal. Dr. Hanley was associated with the United States Olympic Committee and he proved to be a mentor to Joan and the first person to embrace and encourage Joan to reach for Olympics as a goal. (It’s important to note that the Olympic marathon did not exist until 1984 when Joan was the winner of the inaugural Olympic event.) Dr. Hanley has since passed away but it was obvious that this man meant a great deal to Joan well-beyond the world of athletics. Joan’s high school coach, Keith Weatherbie , was a perfect mentor and coach for Joan during her early years of running. Keith was the coach for the boy’s track team and allowed Joan to train with the boy’s team. This proved to be a wonderful opportunity for her to train with faster and stronger runners. I found it enlightening to hear Joan praise her former high school coach for the emphasis he stressed on her academic efforts as much as he did her athletic success. Coach Weatherbie taught his athletes, male and female, that their education included both athletics and academics and he demanded success in both disciplines for them to be a member of his squad. 3. What is your greatest athletic moment in your career? This was an easy question for Joan: Gold medal in the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in her home country in 1984! Joan’s pride was very obvious as she relived the events of this amazing accomplishment and what she deemed her “greatest race in my life”. It was a dream come true for Joan and her drive to succeed continues to this day. It’s important to note that Joan had hoped to qualify for this year’s Olympic marathon when she ran a 2 hour and 49 minute marathon in the US Olympic Trial marathon this past April at the age of 51 years! 4. It is extremely unlikely that anyone reading this interview will be able to accomplish what you have achieved as a world-class distance runner. What can you share with the mature athlete to help them challenge themselves towards a healthier lifestyle? “Have balance in your life.” “Be passionate about whatever you are doing.” “Choose an activity that allows you to have goals.” “Believe in yourself.” “Demonstrate patience…you will need more time to recover than you did 10 years ago.” 5. In your opinion, how important is ATTITUDE to staying healthy? “Very important!” Joan’s attitude of “believe in yourself & believe in what you are doing” is so important to a distance runner during the thousands of hours of running alone on the lonely road and racing at such a high intensity. 6. Many of my readers have had more than their share of injuries which have proved to be frustrating and chronic in nature. What are your secrets to staying active and athletically productive into your “post-30’s”? “Training smarter and harder.” Cross training has been a valuable concept for Joan to help keep her healthy and strong for the past 30+ years. Cycling, cross-country skiing, swimming and kayaking have been the main activities that Joan has used to help her both recover from injuries and to stay healthy. I found it insightful when Joan commented to me that she plans to do more cross-training when she is healthy compared to doing more cross-training when she is injured. She appreciates that having very good upper body strength has been important to her running success. 7. Since you turned 30, can you briefly list the type of injuries you have overcome on your way to running a 2:49 marathon at the age of 51? She has overcome many injuries from competing at a world class level for 30+ years. One of the most astounding athletic accomplishments in Joan’s athletic careers is her performance in the 1984 marathon Olympic Trails….2 1//2 weeks after a knee scope for a torn meniscus! Joan entered that race in May of 1984 17 days after the surgery on, in Joan’s words, “a limp and a prayer”. From a sports medicine specialist who has worked on world-class athletes every day for the past 21 years, trust me when I say that Joan’s ability to overcome such an injury in such a short period of time is an outstanding feat for any sport but for a 26.2 mile marathon is astonishing! 8. What type of specialists are on your Health Care Team (i.e. massage therapist, orthopedic surgeon, etc.) and how important are those members to you in an effort to staying healthy? Joan utilizes a physical therapist, a massage therapist and a yoga instructor for her Health Care Team. She has numerous other medical specialists she can consult with on a needed basis if injuries or concerns arise. Joan was quick to point out that it is important for an athlete at any age to be tuned into their body. This ability to “listen” to your body helps any athlete to minimize injuries and to identify the source of your symptoms when a medical problem at one area can cause significant symptoms at an anatomically different body part. 9. What kinds of activities, exercises, treatments, ..etc. are in your Program which have allowed you to train harder and run faster than women half your age? Joan, a Baby Boomer, runs less miles than she did 20 years ago but she runs more quality miles. “I run how I feel each day” is how Joan is able to maintain her speed while reducing the stress on her body now that she is over 50 years of age. 10. What would you say to someone who is reading this article and saying to themselves: “I could never be that active” or I’m not in good enough shape to run XYZ race” or “I’m not strong enough to tackle that difficult of an obstacle in my life”? Joan’s long-term training and patience was evident with her reply to this question. “Rome was not built in a day” and “be flexible with your training” were part of her answer. She made a great point of asking anyone with a busy schedule to truly appreciate that exercise is important and to make the time to workout no matter how short the exercise is or what time of day it is performed. Any worthwhile endeavor is worth the effort and long-term planning and work is needed to accomplish the task. It’s fun to hear Joan say that her morning run is her morning coffee! If any of you have ever been to Maine between November and April, you can appreciate the temperatures of such a morning run and its ability to wake you up! 11. Any other stories, tips or suggestions to help the mature athlete stay active and healthier? “Make your activities a priority in your life if you want to benefit from them.” “Listen to your body.” “Be active every day or every other day without waiting until the weekend to workout.” In closing, I would like to thank Joan Benoit-Samuelson for sharing her time, stories and expertise with our readers. Her ability as a Baby Boomer to stay healthy while competing with athletes half her age is remarkable. I am so impressed with the pure joy and enthusiasm she demonstrated for her active lifestyle. I came away from my conversation with Joan understanding that she was not happy and content because she is a successful runner. Instead, I realize that Joan Benoit-Samuelson is a fantastically successful runner because she is happy and content with her active lifestyle! And as a final thought, I will leave you with one of my favorite all-time questions. I love to ask high level athletes the simple question: “What is more motivating to you, your WILL TO WIN or your FEAR OF LOSING?” I’ve asked this question to NFL Hall of Famers, world champion triathletes, multi-million dollar businessmen and weekend warriors with incredibly varied answers. I have to say that Joan’s answer was one I had never heard. Joan quickly replied: My will to win is, because the fear of losing is too negative for me!” THAT is why Joan Beniot-Samuelson is so positive and, as a result of her positive mindset, successful in all her endeavors!

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