Forty years ago marked an historic moment for women’s running. A runner in the back of the pack recalls her grueling finish.
On Aug. 5, 1984, Joan Benoit Samuelson won the first Olympic women’s marathon in 2:24:52. A few minutes later, Switzerland’s Gabriele Andersen-Schiess staggered into the L.A. Olympic stadium, suffering in the humidity. It took her more than 5 minutes to cover the last 500 meters of the race, but race officials could not touch her, or she would have been disqualified. While the world watched, she stumbled across the finish line in 2:48 and was rushed to a hospital—where she recovered quickly. Andersen-Schiess talked to Running Times about her Olympic experience from her home in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Running Times: That day, did you feel the history of the first women’s Olympic marathon?
Gabriele Andersen-Schiess: I think we all had a sense. They had a ceremony at the start, so it was definitely kind of a historic moment. And for us runners too, because it was a big step from the longest distance being a 3,000m, going up to the marathon. There were a lot of us who just weren’t that good at shorter stuff. They finally realized that there’s really no reason not to have women run longer distances.
RT: Did you feel the race was about disproving that women were too weak to run the marathon?
AS: Not really, for me it was always not really a valid notion. I mean even going back even further in history, the first time they had the women run the 800m I think they had the same problem. They thought, ‘Oh there’s no way they can run that far. It’s not good for the womb’ and all that stuff. But [the men] weren’t any better in this marathon [in Los Angeles]. They had some pretty bad finishes there for some of them, and I think now we agree that it’s not a valid thought.
RT: When did you start to feel bad?
AS: The first part of the course was probably pretty good, because we were closer to the coast and it wasn’t that hot yet. But then when you got on the freeway, it just got tough because of the heat, at least for me.
Until the last maybe mile or two, I was where I thought I would be in the field. My goal was to be in the first 20, maybe around 15th. I had no illusions; I knew I couldn’t win. I just didn’t have that much speed, or preparation like some of these girls that had been running all their lives. So for me it was mainly making the team at that age and being part of that race.
Are you looking to run the best race of your life?
The last half-mile I still thought I could finish and make it. Progressively, it got worse, especially once you came in the stadium, because the sun was fully on that stadium. But I still knew it was only a little over a lap that we had to go in the stadium and you know I pretty much just gutted it out.
RT: Were the Olympics the highlight of your career?
AS: Before [the Olympics] it was when I ran the California International Marathon and set a personal record [2:33:25]. And then after that, definitely going to the Olympics. You know in my mid-30s, I didn’t even think of the Olympics because before that it was only the 3K on the track. I moved to the United States so I wasn’t really running in a club or with people anymore. So then when they decided to have a marathon, and I ran a couple good marathons then all of a sudden, like in a year and a half, I had the chance to make the team.
RT: Are you reminded of the race often?
AS: No (laughs). Especially not now after 30 years. Once in a while I think about the experience of being at the Olympics, every time I watch the Olympics again, you remember what it was all about.
It was exciting for me, living in the Olympic village, with the other athletes. The whole experience was quite something because I just hadn’t had the experience to do that many races in an organized surrounding. A lot of track runners go to events in the summer in Europe and it’s kind of a similar atmosphere, and for me it was pretty new.
RT: How do you stay active now?
AS: I don’t run anymore, because I had to have a knee replacement, so my knees are not too good. I’ve done mountain bike races up until a couple years ago. I’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of falls. You definitely get better at it, but it’s definitely a high-risk sport. That’s one of the reasons I stopped racing. I still like to ride; I’m just a little more careful. Cross Country [skiing] I still race, because we live in a ski area and we have a lot of local races.
