Kim Jones (born May 2, 1958) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

er and road runner. Author of the autobiography, Dandelion Growing Wild.

Early life and education

Kim Jones was born on May 2, 1958, in Sonoma, California. She had a successful high school running career, winning states titles in the 400 meters, 800 meters, and mile.

Distance running career

Jones became a marathoner after seeing

Joan Samuelson Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American wo ...

's victory in the first women's Olympic marathon. She ran her first marathon in 1984, finishing with a time of 2:48:48. She soon began working with coach

Benji Durden Benji Durden (born August 28, 1951) is a Boulder, Colorado based runner and former running coach who came to prominence as a distance runner in the early 1980s, at the height of the American running boom. Durden was a member of the titular 1980 Sum ...

, himself an elite marathoner, and posted a second-place finish at the 1985 Twin Cities Marathon, with a time of 2:35:59. Jones competed in the

at the 1987 World Championships, but she did not finish after hurting her ankle. In 1988, she finished 5th in the Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:32:16. At the 1991 Berlin Marathon, she ran her lifetime best of 2:26:40 while finishing second. Her time in Berlin made Jones the third-fastest woman marathoner for 1991. Given her performances in 1991, Jones was among the favorites to qualify for the 1992 US Olympic team and, perhaps, even compete for a medal at the Olympics. Jones injured her ankle, however, only weeks before the Olympic Marathon Trials, and despite continuing her training, she earned a "Did not finish" result in the race. Later that year, at the New York City Marathon, Jones was again unable to complete the race, this time dropping out after 17 miles due to breathing problems. Following the marathon, she suffered from bronchitis and was bedridden for a month while recovering from her illness. She competed in the World Championships marathon again at the 1993 meet. Because of a slow pace early in the race, Jones led the pack from the 5K mark through the first thirty kilometers. At this point, she began to fall back, explaining later that she "got real mad" and "wasted energy" after contact with another runner. She finished the race in 8th place with a time of 2:36:33. Two years later, she again competed at the World Championships in the

, this time finishing 16th with a time of 2:37:06. In February 1996, she tried for the third time to qualify for the Olympics in the marathon, but she failed to complete the race due to illness. Then, in June, she ran the 5000 meters at the Olympic Trials, a distance she had not previously run competitively. She told '' Runner's World'' that because her "breathing problems don't usually start for 15 minutes or so," she would be able to complete the race before her asthma began bothering her. At the Trials, she finished 7th with a time of 15:53.58.

Marathon performances

Fastest marathon performances

* Plus 12 other performances under 2:33 since 1986

Post-competitive career

Jones raised her two daughters in Spokane, Washington, and currently resides in

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...

, with her husband Jon Sinclair. Since retiring from competition in 1998, she has been a coach with Anaerobic Management, an on-line coaching service for distance runners, as well as a speaker at special events, road races and expos.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Kim 1958 births Living people People from Sonoma, California Sportspeople from Sonoma County, California Track and field athletes from California American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners 21st-century American women