On the morning of August 5, 1984, four of the greatest marathoners
of all time lined up for one of the most important and long-awaited
races in history. By then, they had dominated their competition for
at least five years, upending a century's worth of preconceived
notions of what marathoners could do. By decade's end, they had
lowered the world record a total of 13 minutes, won 27 major
marathon titles, and swept every Olympic and World Championship
held in the 1980s. And, in their careers, only once did all
four--American Joan Benoit, Norwegians Grete Waitz and Ingrid
Kristiansen, and Portugal's Rosa Mota--square off in the same race:
at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, in the first-ever Women's Olympic
Marathon. Such was their talent that Benoit, the world record
holder, entered the race as the underdog. She'd had knee surgery in
April, and no one, least of all Benoit herself, was certain she
could hold up for 26 miles against her three rivals. Waitz, the
former world record holder, was the favorite--she had destroyed the
field at the 1983 World Championships and had never lost a marathon
she had finished. Kristiansen, who had beaten Waitz twice in the
summer of 1984 (albeit at shorter distances), was considered the
fastest woman in the race: she held world records at 5,000m and
10,000m, and would break Benoit's marathon record in 1985. Mota had
beaten Kristiansen at the 1982 European marathon championships, and
was already earning a reputation for raising her level in the
biggest races. This is their story, and the story of the first
women's Olympic Marathon.
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