Joan Samuelson
BOSTON – With less than one month until the 117th Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that several former champions of the Boston Marathon will return to Boston to participate in events surrounding this year’s running of the historic race. The 117th running of the world’s oldest annual marathon will take place on Monday, April 15, 2013.
Inaugural Olympic gold medalist Joan Samuelson will run this year’s 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 Services’ Elite Athlete Team and is one of the sport’s most recognizable and popular personalities. Samuelson has remained competitive for more than three decades.
Also returning to run this year’s 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 Hancock’s Elite Athlete Team.
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