Elizabeth Bonner (June 9, 1952 – October 9, 1998) was an American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

. On May 9, 1971, Bonner ran a 3:01:42 marathon time in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

at the AAU Eastern Regional Championships, breaking the

world best A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

set one year earlier by Caroline Walker. On September 19, 1971, she became the first winner of the women's division of the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

at the age of 19. Some sources question the validity of Adrienne Beames' 2:46:30 time one month earlier, so Bonner's 2:55:22 performance at New York is frequently credited as the first sub-three hour performance by a woman. She attended

Brandywine College Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania ( Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the sch ...

.c/e In 1994 she was coaching in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. She died in

Kerrville, Texas Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler-f ...

in 1998 when she was hit by a truck while biking. An annual 5K run is held in her name in

Arthurdale, West Virginia Arthurdale is an unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. It was built in 1933, at the height of the Depression as a social experiment to provide opportunities for unemployed local miners and farmers. Arthurdale ...

References

External links

Beth Bonner - Road Runners Club Hall of Fame (2008 inductee)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonner, Beth 1952 births 1998 deaths American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners Track and field athletes from West Virginia People from Reedsville, West Virginia New York City Marathon female winners 20th-century American women 20th-century American people