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Boston Marathon®
Past Champions Returning to Boston
Joan Samuelson, Greg
Meyer, and Amby Burfoot to run 2013 Boston Marathon.
Jacqueline Hansen to Serve as
Honorary, Official Starter of Elite WomenÛªs Race.
Roberta ÛÏBobbiÛ Gibb and
Sara Mae Berman to Greet On-course Spectators and Honored as Grand Marshals.
BOSTON ÛÒ With less than one month until
the 117th Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
today announced that several former champions of the Boston Marathon will
return to Boston
to participate in events surrounding this yearÛªs running of the historic
race. The 117th running of the worldÛªs oldest annual marathon
will take place on Monday, April 15, 2013.
Inaugural
Olympic gold medalist Joan Samuelson
will run this yearÛªs Boston Marathon. Samuelson, 55, won the 1979 and
1983 Boston Marathons before winning the Olympic Games Marathon in Los Angeles in 1984. She
will return to Boston
on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of her 1983 victory, the
race in which she established a world record (two hours, 22 minutes, 43
seconds). Samuelson has run the previous two Boston Marathons (2:51:29 in 2011;
3:28:08 in 2012), including last year under challenging conditions (i.e.,
extremely warm weather) while starting with her daughter, Abby. She is a member
of principal sponsor John Hancock Financial ServicesÛª Elite Athlete Team
and is one of the sportÛªs most recognizable and popular personalities.
Samuelson has remained competitive for more than three decades.
Also
returning to run this yearÛªs Boston Marathon are Greg Meyer and Amby Burfoot. Like Samuelson, Meyer will mark the 30th
anniversary of his 1983 Boston Marathon victory and will also be a member of
John HancockÛªs Elite Athlete Team this year. A Michigan native, Meyer, 57, is the most
recent American male to have won the Boston Marathon and has spent the last two
years also serving as coach for HancockÛªs Employee Training Team.
Burfoot, 66, will mark the 45th anniversary of his Boston Marathon
win this year. In 1968, BurfootÛªs victory made him the Boston
MarathonÛªs first American champion in 11 years. Burfoot was coached by
the late John J. Kelley, the 1957 Boston Marathon champion and the only B.A.A.
Running Club member to win the Boston Marathon. Both Meyer and Burfoot will run
this yearÛªs event with their families in celebration of their
accomplishments. Meyer and Burfoot will wear bibs 1983 and 1968,
respectively.
ÛÏWe are
honored by the presence of our past champions, and we welcome them back to Boston with great
pride,Û said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. ÛÏWinning the
Boston Marathon is a career milestone that all of our champions cherish for a
lifetime. They are also extremely engaging individuals who liven up any
celebration that they attend, and we look forward to celebrating their
achievement and showcasing them at our events throughout Boston Marathon
weekend. It will be fun to have them here.Û
The B.A.A.
will honor Samuelson, Meyer, and Burfoot in recognition of the anniversaries of
their Boston Marathon victories at its annual ChampionsÛª Breakfast on
Saturday, April 13, 2013. Jacqueline Hansen
will also be recognized at the event as she marks the 40th
anniversary of her 1973 victory. Hansen defeated defending champion Nina
Kuscsik to become the womenÛªs champion only one year after women were
first officially allowed to compete in the Boston Marathon. As an added
recognition, Hansen will serve as the honorary, official starter for the elite
womenÛªs field this PatriotsÛª Day.
Additionally,
a pair of pioneers of womenÛªs marathon running ÛÒ Boston champions Roberta ÛÏBobbiÛ Gibb and Sara Mae Berman will serve as the grand
marshals for the 2013 Boston Marathon. The B.A.A. has reserved the grand
marshal role as a position of recognition and honor. Gibb and Berman will ride
in a Nissan pace car ahead of the lead runners, heralding to spectators along
the course that thousands of runners will soon be coming.
Gibb became
the first woman to run and successfully complete the Boston Marathon in 1966,
six years prior to the official acceptance of female participation in the
event. She won again in 1967 and 1968. Berman won from 1969 through 1971 and
placed fifth in 1972, the first year of official participation for women in the
Boston Marathon.
Defending
champions Wesley Korir, of Kenya
(menÛªs open race); Sharon Cherop,
of Kenya (womenÛªs open race); Joshua
Cassidy, of Canada (menÛªs push rim wheelchair race); and Shirley Reilly, of Arizona (womenÛªs
push rim wheelchair race) will also attend the ChampionsÛª Breakfast to
officially and ceremonially receive their top-seeded bibs for the 2013 Boston
Marathon as they look to defend their titles on April 15.
Many other
Boston Marathon champions, legends, pioneers, and significant figures in race
history will also be in town to participate in Boston Marathon weekend in a
number of ways.
About the Boston
Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887 and now in its 125th
Anniversary year, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization
with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle
through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.Ûªs Boston Marathon is the
world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events
and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.
Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock
Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors, along with
the international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New
York City. The 117th Boston Marathon will be held on
Monday, April 15, 2013. Nearly 50,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events
in 2013.
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