Cheryl Bridges, now Cheryl Treworgy, is an American former long-distance runner who once held the American and world record 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 ...
, racing in the 1960s and 1970s. She was the first women runner to be on the cover of a running magazine.>
Biography
Cheryl Bridges, nee Pedlow, was born December 25, 1947, in Indiana. She began her running career as a sophomore at
North Central High School North Central High School may refer to one of many high school in the United States:
*North Central High School (Farmersburg, Indiana)
*North Central High School (Indianapolis)
*North Central High School (Louisiana), Lebeau, Louisiana
* North Cent ...
in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. In her senior year in high school, she competed in the national
cross-country
Cross country or cross-country may refer to:
Places
* Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland
* Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY
* Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...
championships.
In 1966, she became the first female athlete in the U.S. to receive an athletic scholarship to a public university,
Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
, who did not have a women's program when Bridges enrolled. She graduated in three years with a degree in physical education.
In 1969, she finished fourth in the
World Cross Country Championships
World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...
in Scotland. She set the U.S. records in the 3 mile and 5,000 meter distances, after which she was coached by
Bill Dellinger
William "Bill" Solon Dellinger (born March 23, 1934) is a retired American middle-distance runner. He competed in the 5,000 m at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1964, setting his personal record.
She was inducted into the Indiana Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame in 1983, the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984 and the
Road Runners Club of America
Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running c ...
Hall of Fame in 1987.
She is the mother of
Shalane Flanagan
Shalane Grace Flanagan (born July 8, 1981) is an American long-distance runner, Olympic medalist and New York City Marathon champion. She was the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977. She holds the NACAC area reco ...