The perseverance and stamina she harnessed at sixteen would become hallmarks of her career. During her rehabilitation, her doctor recommended running to strengthen her leg muscles. In tenth grade, Samuelson broke her leg skiing on Pleasant Mountain. That was one of the few sports that I could do as a young girl.” And he wanted his kids learning how to ski as early as possible. He had a real passion for skiing and had served in the 10th Mountain Division during the war. My dad brought us up on skis, my brothers and me, about the same time that we were learning how to walk. “I had aspirations of making it to the Olympics or into a world championship as a ski racer. Samuelson began running in high school, but her first love was skiing. “She represents the ultimate athlete-someone who has been able to push herself to the limit.” “Runners talk about Joan with a different tone of voice,” said a fellow racer.

All those miles led to medals, shattered records, and honors over her astounding career, from standout high school and collegiate athlete to Olympian, from elite world-class runner paving the way for the future of women’s athletics to serving as inspiration for generations of runners. Somewhere in the middle of that you would have worn out your running shoes about 300 times.

To put such a number into perspective, if you laced up your sneakers in Samuelson’s hometown of Cape Elizabeth, jogged the 240 miles east to catch the first sunrise in the nation in Lubec, ran northwest for 260 miles to reach Maine’s northernmost village of Estcourt Station, circumnavigated the globe six times, and then ran three marathons, you’d almost reach Samuelson’s lifetime running mileage. Whichever measurement you choose, neither comes close to the estimated 150,000 miles (and counting) that Joan Benoit Samuelson ’79, P’12 has run in her lifetime. Maine's coastline runs for about 228 miles, and when you include all the nooks and crannies of the iconic rocky shore, the mileage swells to 3,748. Illustration of Joan Benoit Samuelson by Lyne Lucien ’13

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