Bernard Joseph Smith (1917 – January 25, 1993) was an American marathon runner. He was the winner of the 1942

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

with a course record of 2:26:51. His record lasted for five years until it was broken by 1947 Boston Marathon winner Suh Yun-bok. At Boston, Smith came in fifth place at the 1941 and 1949 marathons. Outside Boston, he won the 1941

USA Marathon Championships The USA Marathon Championships is the annual national championships for marathon running in the United States. The race serves as a way of designating the American national champion for the marathon. The men's race was first contested in 1925 and a ...

at the

Yonkers Marathon The Yonkers Marathon, is a marathon race held annually in Yonkers, New York. Founded in 1907, it is the second oldest marathon in the United States, after the Boston Marathon. It is held on the third Sunday in October. In addition to the mar ...

Early life

In 1917, Smith was born in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

Career

Smith was a milkman before he began marathon running in 1940. His first

World Marathon Majors The World Marathon Majors (WMM) (known for sponsorship reasons as the Abbott World Marathon Majors) is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on six major marathon races recog ...

races were at the 1940 and 1941

. In 1941, he won the

during the

. The following year, Smith wanted to sit out the 1942 Boston Marathon while he recuperated from the flu. After his wife convinced him to compete, Smith won the marathon and set a course record of 2:26:51. Smith stopped running in 1942 when he enlisted to the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

and served three years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Upon his return from the war,Smith did not compete from 1945 to 1946 and resumed running at the 1947 Boston Marathon. Smith did not finish the 1947 marathon while his five year course record was broken by winner Suh Yun-bok. In the following Boston races, he did not finish in 1948 and placed in 5th at his last marathon in 1949. Outside Boston, Smith was runner-up in the 1947 Western Hemisphere Marathon. He also came in 5rh at the 1959 Yonkers Marathon and ran at the 1949 Western Hemisphere Marathon. After ending his marathon career, Smith continued working as a milkman until 1957. Smith moved on work for a post office for three decades before retiring in 1987.

Achievements

Personal life

Smith was married and had three children.

Death

Smith died on January 25, 1993, in

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joe 1917 births 1993 deaths Boston Marathon male winners Sportspeople from Medford, Massachusetts Date of birth unknown American male marathon runners Track and field athletes from Massachusetts United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II