Jeffrey McClellan
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Posts: 42
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« on: October 04, 2010, 09:12:39 am » |
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5023 CHRISTINE KENNEDY LOS GATOS CA WOMENS 55-59 56 F 2:51:40 2:51:40 58 5 1 100.9%
I have to say, this is by far the most impressive performance from st. george on saturday. Too bad the course isn't record eligible, because otherwise I think this time would have broken the world record for that age group, although I could be wrong on that one.
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jtshad
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« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2010, 01:25:46 pm » |
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I know her from spending some time chatting with her back in 2008 at the Twin Cities Marathon. Not only is she a superb athlete, she is also a very nice lady and humble to boot. She rocked the marathon on Saturday!
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Bonnie
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« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2010, 01:48:05 pm » |
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That is amazing!!
If it weren't an aided course, she would indeed have the world record, current record is:
56y 65d 2:59:23 Bernardine Portenski (NZL) 26 Aug 1949 30 Oct 2005 Auckland NZL
Pretty impressive!!!
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Mike Schramm
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Posts: 18
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« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2010, 05:48:01 pm » |
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This truly was an amazing performance by Christine Kennedy, who is 56 years old. Her time of 2:51:40 on Saturday is "age graded" to a 2:14:09, which of course would be faster than the women's all time record set by Paula Radcliffe (I realize you cannot quite compare the two, but I thought I would throw in that reference as an FYI).
Christine crushed the St. George marathon course record for a female 55-59, which was 3:18:09, and it also crushed the former St. George marathon course record for this age group when the course was slightly changed in 2006, the old record was set by Barbara Miller in 1998 with a 3:01:18. So, Ms. Kennedy truly had an outstanding day. And this performance was done in conditions warmer than expected.
Also, it now ranks #195 on the all time St. George womens list for the fastest time. I believe Christine will easily be included in the marathon top 50 legend status.
Also, Christine did run the Boston Marathon this year in an incredible time of 2:57:19, which easily placed her first in her age category. She was the 11th place womens masters runner in that race, with the other 10 women that beat her were all in the age group 40-44.
Cheers
Mike Schramm
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« Last Edit: October 05, 2010, 10:58:15 pm by Mike Schramm »
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Cheryl Keith
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« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2010, 02:19:18 pm » |
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Anyone know her training secrets?
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Mike Schramm
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Posts: 18
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« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2010, 07:10:58 pm » |
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A great Article in the November issue of Running times on Christine Kennedy, page 39.
She is from Ireland, and was inspired to take up running after watching the 1981 Dublin Marathon. She ended up winning the same race in 1990. She won the Irish national championship in 1991 with a time of 2:35:56.
She now lives in No. California and operates a running store in that area. She runs 70-80 miles per week. She ran 2:57:19 in Boston in 2010, and is headed back there in 2011, looking to break the 2:54:21 record at Boston for female over age 50 runners. If she breaks 3 hrs, she will be the oldest woman to go under that mark. She ultimately would like to challenge the 55-59 American record of 2:52:14 set in 1998 by Rae Baymiller.
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Mike Schramm
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Posts: 18
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« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2010, 10:21:51 am » |
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Joan is much more impressive, but, hey, when it comes to Joan Samuelson, she is a legend and on a whole different level than us mere mortals. Not only is Joan an incredible runner for over 30 years now, but she is a very humble and nice woman. I have met her a couple of times, and whether she is talking to a elite level runner or just a average guy like me, she is very personable.
She was trying to qualify for the trials yesterday with a sub 2:46, and if it wasn't as warm as it was, she probably would have made it. She still has time to try and qualify, although i think the Letsrun thread that Paul linked to his message states that former Olympians get an automatic pass to the trials, so Joan is in.
I saw her run in 2005 when my wife Erica ran a 10k in Boston, the Tufts 10k, and Joan was there running at age 48, but she was very competitive. She definitely has an unusual running stride. I then saw her again in April 2008 when she ran the Olympic marathon Trials in Boston, and she ran sub 2:50 at age 50. There was a bigger roar for her when she came by each time during the race than when the leaders came by. She will always be a legend and a fan favorite in the Boston area.
A close friend of mine still talks about her Olympic gold during the 1984 Olympic marathon in Los Angeles, when he and a couple of friends drove to LA from Vegas to watch the marathon. He was shocked as he watched Joan put a huge lead on the rest of the competitors, including great runners like Grete Waitz, Ingrid Kristiansen and Rosa Mota. She truly is a remarkable runner.
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« Last Edit: October 11, 2010, 10:29:20 am by Mike Schramm »
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Bonnie
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« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2010, 10:55:38 am » |
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I have been a Joanie fan for many years now. She is truly an amazing person and athlete.
I guess we will never know if "she would have made it if it had not been warm". I was very surprised to see her splits. She went out really really fast (she was at 5:58 pace the first 5K and 6:06 the second, she needed 6:20s) - this was out of character for her actually, seeing how she is pretty much an even or negative splitter generally (to piggy back on the "even splits" thread on the discussion board). I would love to pick her brain about what she was planning with this race.
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jtshad
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« Reply #9 on: October 12, 2010, 08:37:55 am » |
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Two truly inspiring women, no matter how you look at it! Just amazing runners!
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