|
|||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||
 Aug 3 RRCA Honors Benoit Samuelson at Beach to BeaconThe following is an excerpt from the race report for the 12th TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K by Glenn Jordan (Read the full story at http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=274351&ac=PHspt.)CAPE ELIZABETH, ME - The most poignant part of the day occurred after the last of the 5,613 runners and walkers crossed the mats, with race founder Joan Benoit Samuelson greeting as many as she could. Hustling up a hill to the awards ceremony moments later, Samuelson was overcome with emotion when she was unexpectedly honored by the Road Runners Club of America on the 25th anniversary of her historic Olympic marathon victory. Mitchell Garner, a director of the RRCA who traveled to Maine for the race from Ann Arbor, Mich., also cited Samuelson for her efforts to give back "to your community through this race and your many charitable efforts." As Garner recounted Samuelson's Olympic journey, applause swelled until reaching the crescendo of a standing ovation. Samuelson fought back tears, her voice cracking, as she professed her thanks and recounted her thoughts inside that dark tunnel in 1984, all cool and quiet and, for the last time in her life, very private, before emerging into the light of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before 77,000 cheering fans and the eyes of the world. She said she wondered at the time, "What can I do to give back to a state and a country that have given so much to me?" The answer may have taken some time, but never was it more evident than a few minutes later, when the award winners were being announced. See the presentation at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mainerunningphotos/3782376551/in/set-72157621926638558/. ###
About RRCA: |
|||||||||||||||||
