Gerry Davidson (March 12, 1921 – August 5, 2011)Gerry Davidson's obituary
was an American long distance runner from Fallbrook, California. She is the former

world record holder In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

in the W85 Mile run (and previously in the W80 division). She is also the American record holder in most W80 and W85 track events from the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

through the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

and several road running records going back to 1991 when she was 70 years old. Davidson first took up jogging for exercise when she moved to Fallbrook in the 1970s. It was the era of the

running boom of the 1970s The running boom of the 1970s occurred in high- and middle-income countries. It was particularly pronounced in the United States and occurred in other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and in Europe. The boom was primar ...

and the thing to do. Eventually she took on competitive running by entering the annual L'eggs Mini-Marathon in nearby San Diego. That was the only race she did for several years until it was discontinued. The competitive bug had bitten, she became a fixture in the local running scene, has run in

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 ...

s coast to coast and began running in the sport of masters athletics. It was coincidental that she set her Mile world record on the same day that

Alan Webb Alan Webb may refer to: * Alan Webb (actor) (1906–1982), English actor * Alan Webb (runner) (born 1983), American track athlete * Alan Webb (footballer) (born 1963), retired English association football player See also

* Allan Webb (disambigu ...

broke Jim Ryun's fabled high school mile record. She died in

Seal Beach, California Seal Beach is a coastal city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,242, up from 24,168 at the 2010 census. Seal Beach is located in the westernmost corner of Orange County. To the northwest ...

on August 5, 2011.

References

External links

Gerry Davidson photo hosted at mastershistory.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Gerry 1921 births 2011 deaths American female middle-distance runners American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners American masters athletes World record setters in masters athletics Track and field athletes from California People from Fallbrook, California 20th-century American sportswomen