This Day in Track & Field History, April 18, 2024, Ray Norton, SJSU, ran 10.1 (1959), equals WR, Joan Benoit wins Boston (1983) in WR 2:22.43, by Walt Murphy News and Results Service

Walt Murphy is one of the finest track geeks that I know. Walt does #ThisDayinTrack&FieldHistory, an excellent daily service that provides true geek stories about our sport. You can check out the service for FREE with a free one-month trial subscription! (email: [email protected] ) for the entire daily service. We will post a few historic moments each day, beginning February 1, 2024.

This Day in Track & Field–December 1, Ron Delaney wins Melbourne Olympic 1,500 meters (1956), Did you know that he almost did not attend? Read the story! by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–November 28, Lee Calhoun wins 110 meter hurdles (1956), written by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field/X-Country–November 27, Al Oerter wins his first Olympic discus title (1956), written by Walt Murphy

By Walt Murphy’s News and Results Service ([email protected]), used with permission.

This Day in Track & Field–April 18

1959—San Jose State’s Ray Norton ran 10.1 for 100 meters on his “home” track to equal the World Record shared by fellow Americans Willie Williams, Ira Murchison, and Leamon King.

Ray Norton, 1960 Rome Olympics, photo courtesy of 49ers website

1983–Joan Benoit won her second Boston Marathon in the World Record time of 2:22:43, breaking Grete Waitz’s day-old mark of 2:25:28.7. Benoit went on to win the inaugural Women’s Olympic Marathon the following summer. Greg Meyer, a resident of Massachusetts at the time, won the Men’s race and was the last American man to do so until Meb Keflezighi won in 2014.

Greg Meyer won the 1983 Boston Marathon in 2:09:00, photo from Boston Athletic Association.

At the 2019 race, Benoit, hoping to run within 40 minutes of her 1979 winning time of 2:35:15, did much better, running 3:04:00 while wearing a Bowdoin singlet, just like she did 40 years prior while she was a student at the Maine school. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPgKLBwVd4

Joan Benoit, winner of the 1983 Boston Marathon, photo from the Boston Athletic Association

https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/03/04/her-life-is-in-apple-pie-order

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOVR2FQGKpE

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/19/sports/meyer-wins-boston-marathon-joan-benoit-sets-world-mark.html

For Subscribers:

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a27153381/joan-benoit-samuelson-boston-marathon-40th-anniversary/

https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20844024/why-was-the-1983-boston-marathon-so-deep/

Meyer Interview (2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdRyWeZ0pis

1987—Joe Dial jumped 19-4 ¾ (5.91) at the Kansas Relays to set the 6^th of his 8 American Records in the Pole Vault. Dial had to wait 45 minutes before officials finally confirmed the record. He then missed 3 attempts at breaking Sergey Bubka’s World Record of 19-8 ½ (6.01).

Two Kansas legends, years removed from their glory days, were also on hand. Jim Ryun, less than two weeks shy of his 40th birthday, finished 2nd in the Masters 800 (2:01.7) in his first competition since 1973, while 50-year-old Al Oerter had to withdraw from the Discus because of back spasms.

1987—UCLA alum John Brenner returned to his home field and threw the shot 73-1/2 (22.26) to break Brian Oldfield’s 3-year-old American Record of 72-9 ¼ (22.19). He would win his 2^nd U.S. title in June and went on to win the bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. He was the 1984 NCAA Champion in the Shot Put and Discus.

1988—Ibrahim Hussein became the first man from Kenya (and Africa) to win the Boston Marathon, edging Tanzania’s Juma Ikangaa for the title (2:08:43-2:08.44). Finishing 3^rd was John Treacy, who set the current Irish Record of 2:09:15, and 28^th in 2:28:17 was 4-time Boston winner Bill Rodgers (1975, 1978-1980).

Portugal’s Rosa Mota became the first woman in the “official” era to defend her title, winning with a time of 2:24:30.

Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Boston_Marathon

https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/19/sports/hussein-of-kenya-wins-boston-race.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otleVsck-Co

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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