On August 5, 1984, America’s Joan Benoit stood at the starting line in Los Angeles for the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon. The then-27-year-old athlete had undergone knee surgery just months before and had to fight her way onto the U.S. Olympic team. When the race began, Benoit employed a controversial strategy: She took the lead early and quickly distanced herself from the field.
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For 21 miles, Benoit ran alone, at one point building a 51-second lead. The gap between her and her biggest competition, including Norway’s stars Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen, continued to grow as both held back in the Los Angeles August heat and smog. At one point, Benoit’s lead over her rivals approached two minutes.
The race finished with a dramatic ending fit for a race taking place on the edges of Hollywood. After running 26 miles essentially alone, Benoit approached the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum still in the lead. The 77,000 spectators inside the Coliseum could see the American runner approaching the stadium’s entrance, but then she disappeared into the tunnel leading into the stadium.
Joan Benoit Disappeared Into the Tunnel
For a painfully long few seconds, Benoit was completely out of sight, leaving the audience in the stadium and those watching from home unsure if she would emerge from the tunnel still in the lead.
The crowd responded with an overwhelming roar as Joan Benoit entered the stadium, bounding toward Olympic history.
Benoit crossed the finish line in 2:24:52, winning the first women’s Olympic marathon and beating Waitz by a full 1 minute, 26 seconds.
Joan Benoit’s Gold Medal Was About More Than a Race
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Benoit’s gold medal performance was about more than another Olympic victory. It was the first Olympic women’s marathon, won by an American at an Olympics hosted by America. It was also a major milestone for women’s sports.
That’s what makes rewatching Benoit’s cinematic finish so powerful today. She wasn’t simply running toward a gold medal. Joan Benoit’s disappearance into the tunnel symbolized the race itself as she ran into a moment that had never existed before.
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