Jacqueline Hansen (born November 20, 1948) is a former long-distance runner from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

who is recognized by the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

as having set a world best in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

on two occasions.

Biography

Hansen set a world best mark on December 1, 1974, with a 2:43:55 performance at the Western Hemisphere Marathon in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

, then recaptured it from

Christa Vahlensieck Christa Vahlensieck (née Kofferschläger; born 27 May 1949) is a German former long distance runner and pioneer in the marathon for women. During her running career, from 1973-1989, she simultaneously achieved a world record in the 10,000 metres, ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

on October 12, 1975, with 2:38:19 at the Nike OTC Marathon in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...

. With these two performances, she was ranked first in women's marathon for 1974 and 1975. Hansen won 12 of her first 15 marathons. Among these victories, she won the prestigious

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several 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 ...

in 1973, the

Honolulu Marathon The Honolulu Marathon (branded JAL Honolulu Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a marathon (26.2 miles or 42.2km) in Honolulu, Hawaii, first held in 1973. It is one of the world's largest marathons, taking place annually on the second Sunday in ...

in 1975, and the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in 1976. Hansen is also a three-time winner of the Western Hemisphere Marathon (1972, 1974, 1977) and the Catalina Marathon (1979, 1981, 1982). At the 1987

World Masters Athletics Championships The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes 35 years of age or ...

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Hansen won titles in the

1,500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athleti ...

and the

5,000 meters The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

. Hansen was the president of a group, the International Runners Committee, that successfully lobbied the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

to add women's events for the 5,000 meters, the

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ...

, and the marathon. Hansen was a member of the Los Angeles Track Club, 1970-1972;

Southern California Striders The Southern California Striders (also SoCal Striders or SC Striders) is a track and field athletics club based in Los Angeles, California. From its foundation in 1955 through the 1980s it was an elite club producing numerous national and Olympi ...

, 1973-1974; San Fernando Valley Track Club, 1974-1983 & 1987-1993; and Oregon Track Club 1983-1987. After her competitive running career, Hansen worked for the

Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles The LA84 Foundation (known until June 2007 as the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles) is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olym ...

, and coached an all women's running team called "See Jane Run" (later known as "The Janes") to multiple

USA Cross Country Championships The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as ...

. Hansen attended

Granada Hills High School Granada Hills Charter (often abbreviated to GHCHS/GHC or simply Granada) is an independent charter school consisting of over 4,600 students in grades K–12, located in the Granada Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It i ...

and

Los Angeles Pierce College Los Angeles Pierce College (Pierce College or Pierce) is a public community college in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and C ...

, and is a 1974 graduate of

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise ----

Honors and Organizations

*1976 Race Director, Women's National AAU Marathon Championships, Western Hemisphere, Culver City, CA. *1977 Race Director, Women's National AAU 10K Road Race Championships, Bonne Belle 10K, Beverly Hills, CA. *1979-1981 Women’s SPA-AAU & SPA-TAC Long-Distance Running Chair. *1979-1980 Athletes’ Representative to Executive Board, The Athletics Congress (TAC-USA). *1979-1986 Former President, Executive Director, International Runners’ Committee. *1980 Advisory Board Member, American Running & Fitness Association. *1980-1987 Member, Road Runners Club of America Women’s Distance Committee. *1981-1990 Board of Directors, American Road Racing Association. *1984 Event Coordinator, Exhibition Women's 5,000m & 10,000m, USA Olympic Track & Field Trials, Los Angeles, CA. *1984 Athletes’ Representative to International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Cross-Country & Road Racing Committee. *1984 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, Annual Award for Leadership. *1984 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), Hall of Fame Inductee. *1984 The Athletics Congress-USA Annual Recognition Award, “Woman of the Year”. *1984 Chairwoman, International Competition Subcommittee of TAC-USA Women’s Long Distance Running Committee (WLDRC). *1986, 1987, 1989 USA Team Manager, International Women's Ekiden, Yokohama, Japan. *1987 USA Head Coach, Women's Marathon Team, Taipei International Marathon, Taiwan. *1988 USA Team Leader, IAAF Women's International 15K Championships, Monte Carlo, Monaco. *1988 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee, California State University, Northridge. *1988-1991 TAC-USA, WLDRC Site Selection Sub-Committee Chairwoman for the 1992 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials. *1989-1991 TAC-Southern California Association WLDR Chairwoman. *1990-1991 TAC-SCA Board of Directors, Vice President. *1997 L.A. Pierce College’s “50 Distinguished Alumni” for celebration of Pierce’s 50th Anniversary. *1999 USA Team Head Coach, Women's & Men's Team, International Ekiden, Chiba, Japan. *2004 Lifetime Achievement Award, Southern California Association-USATF. ----

Notes

References

External links

Biography at KidsRunning.ComLifetime Achievement Award from USA Track & Field Southern CaliforniaJacqueline Hansen's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Jacqueline Living people 1948 births American female marathon runners World record setters in athletics (track and field) Boston Marathon female winners Track and field athletes from California 21st-century American women 20th-century American women