Geoffrey Smith (born 24 October 1953) is a British former long-distance runner who won the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

in both 1984 and 1985 and competed in the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

and the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Biography

Smith was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and was a member of the Liverpool Harriers. At the 1980 Olympics Games in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, he represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in the 10,000 metres. He finished second behind Barry Smith in the 10,000 metres event at the

1981 AAA Championships The 1981 AAA Championships sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, Nationwide was the 1981 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 7 to 8 August 1981 at t ...

. He ran a sub- four-minute mile in 1982, recording 3:55 minutes in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. In 1982 he won the world class Bermuda 10K on a very hilly course in a record time of 28:14, although many world class runners have attempted this race over the years since, none have been any closer than 54 seconds behind this record. He finished second behind Charlie Spedding at the

1983 AAA Championships The 1983 AAA Championships sponsored by ( Robinsons Barley Water) was the 1983 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 23 to 24 July 1983 at the Crystal Pal ...

. Smith's best time in the marathon was 2:09:08, when he finished second to

Rod Dixon Rodney Phillip Dixon (born 13 July 1950) is a former New Zealand middle- to long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and in 1983 won the New York City Marathon. Biography Dixon was ...

in the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, 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 fini ...

in 1983, his first attempt at the marathon distance. Smith only lost by nine seconds. He won the 1984 Boston Marathon by over four minutes. He was the last person to win the Boston Marathon before the race organizers began giving out prize money to the winners. Smith worked as a firefighter for ten years in the United Kingdom, joining the profession straight out of high school. He later went back to study, enrolling at

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Roman Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, it offers 47 undergraduate Academic ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

at the age of 26 in 1980. He remained in the United States and began working as a middle school teacher and lives in

Mattapoisett, Massachusetts Mattapoisett is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,508 at the 2020 census. Mattapoisett Center is located in the town. Mattapoisett is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompass ...

as of 2004.Cool Running :: 20 Years Later: An Interview with Two-Time Boston Marathon Winner Geoff Smith
/ref> He ceased running the Boston Marathon after 1990 and stopped running completely in the early 1990s, having suffered hip problems since birth. He has had both hips replaced and has started running again in June 2013. He coaches local runners South of Boston.

Marathons

International competitions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Geoff 1953 births Living people People from Mattapoisett, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts Athletes from Liverpool English male marathon runners British male marathon runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain Boston Marathon male winners Providence College alumni

Biography

Marathons

International competitions

See also

References