Bernardine Judith Portenski (née Coleman, 26 August 1949 – 1 February 2017), commonly known as Bernie Portenski, was a New Zealand long-distance runner. She set numerous age-group world records, and competed at events ranging from

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since 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 ...

Athletics

Portenski took up running at the age of 30, and discovered a liking for long-distance events. She ran 114 marathons, including competing at the annual Rotorua Marathon on 33 occasions. In 1992 she qualified for the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, but was deemed too old by the New Zealand Olympic selectors and was not added to the team.

Personal life

Portenski was born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

on 26 August 1949, the daughter of Mary Coleman (née Caroll) and John Coleman, and educated at Sacred Heart College. When not running, Portenski ran a hairdressing salon in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. She was married to Peter Horan, and had one daughter and one stepson. Portenski was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May 2016. Portenski died in Wellington on 1 February 2017 at the age of 67 from the ovarian cancer with which she had been diagnosed the previous year.

Records and achievements

Portenski recorded the following times, titles, and records: ;Open *Winner, 2001

Auckland Marathon The Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Marathon and Half Marathon is an annual running event held in Auckland, New Zealand. The event is held in October or early November of each year, which is during the spring in New Zealand. The main feature of the ...

;40–44 age group *34:48.95 for the 10,000 metres (at Wellington, 1993) – New Zealand age-group recordAll Time World Rankings – 10000 meters
, ''mastersathletics.net''. Retrieved 3 February 2017. ;45–49 age group *17:32.13 for the 5000 metres (at Hastings, New Zealand, 18 January 1998) – New Zealand age-group record
, ''mastersathletics.net''. Retrieved 3 February 2017. *35:35.5 for the 10,000 metres (at Wellington, 1 February 1998) – New Zealand age-group record *2:43:38 for the marathon (at Rotorua, 2 May 1998) – New Zealand age-group record
, ''mastersathletics.net''. Retrieved 3 February 2017. *Winner, 1998

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

(45–49 age-group) ;50–54 age group *5:00.58 for the 1500 metres (in 2002) – New Zealand age-group record *17:22.22 for the 5000 metres (at Wellington, 10 February 2002) – New Zealand age-group record, world third-fastest *36:34.24 for the 10,000 metres (at Inglewood, New Zealand, 21 January 2002) – New Zealand age-group record, world second-fastest *2:51:40 for the marathon (at Auckland, 28 October 2001) – New Zealand age-group record ;55–59 age group *2:38.36 for the 800 metres (at Wellington, 22 January 2005) – second-fastest by a New ZealanderAll Time World Rankings – 800 meter Run
, ''mastersathletics.net''. Retrieved 3 February 2017.. Retrieved 3 February 2017. *17:58.05 for the 5000 metres (at Wellington, 6 February 2005) – World age-group record *37:22.37 for the 10,000 metres (at Wellington, 16 April 2006) – World age-group record *1:24:50 for the half-marathon (at Wellington, 1993) – New Zealand age-group record, world second-fastest
, ''mastersathletics.net''. Retrieved 3 February 2017. *2:59:23 for the marathon (at Auckland, 30 October 2005) – New Zealand age-group record ;60–64 age group *18:51.13 for the 5000 metres (at Wellington, 21 February 2010) – World age-group record *39:04.23 for the 10,000 metres (at Wellington, 28 February 2010) – World age-group record *1:24:56 for the half-marathon (at Christchurch, 6 June 2010) – World age-group record *3:01:30 for the marathon (at Gold Coast, Australia, 4 July 2010) – World age-group record

Honours and awards

In 1994 and 1998, Portenski was named Wellington sports personality of the year. Also in 1998, she was named Wellingtonian of the Year, Kapiti Coast sports personality of the year, and New Zealand veteran athlete of the year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portenski, Bernadine 1949 births 2017 deaths People from Lower Hutt People educated at Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt New Zealand female long-distance runners New Zealand female marathon runners Deaths from ovarian cancer Deaths from cancer in New Zealand