Anni Pede-Erdkamp (born January 14, 1940) is a former

West German 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 ...

long-distance runner 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 div ...

on September 16, 1967, with a time of 3:07:27 in Waldniel,

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 ...

Biography

Pede and Monika Boers were asked by

Ernst van Aaken Ernst van Aaken (16 May 1910, in Emmerich – 2 April 1984, in Schwalmtal-Waldniel) was a German sports physician and athletics trainer. Van Aaken became known as the ''"Running Doctor"'' and was the founder of the training method called the ''Wa ...

, an early proponent of women's running, to participate in a race organized by his running club. According to German sports historian Karl Lennartz, journalists skeptical of 13-year-old

Maureen Wilton Maureen "Moe" Wilton (born November 30, 1953) is a former Canadian long-distance runner who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best in the marathon on May 6, 1967, with a time of 3:15:23 i ...

's recent world best in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada asked van Aaken if women and teenagers were capable of such a performance. Mocked and derided for claiming that faster times were indeed possible, van Aaken chose Pede, a middle-distance runner and mother of two, and Boers, a 19-year-old from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, to prove himself correct. Although the German Athletic Association (Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband) did not yet officially permit women to run, race officials did allow the two women to start 30 meters behind the men. Pede's mark was good enough for third overall and Boers finished in 3:19:36.3.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pede-Erdkamp, Anni 1940 births West German female long-distance runners World record setters in athletics (track and field) German female marathon runners Living people 20th-century German women