Renata Walendziak (née Pentlinowska; born 18 January 1950) is a Polish female former

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competed in track running, cross country running and 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 ...

. She was born in Grabowo Bobowskie in the north of the country. Walendziak was a five-time competitor for Poland at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, competing every year from 1974 to 1978. She placed in the top thirty women on all her appearances, with her best results being fifth individually in 1976 and a team bronze medal in 1975, helped on by individual silver medallist

Bronisława Ludwichowska Bronisława Ludwichowska (born 18 September 1951) is a Polish former distance runner who won the 1977 Women's Cinque Mulini cross-country race. She followed up a sixth-place finish at the 1974 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1974 IAAF ...

.Renata Walendziak

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved 2018-02-09. Both she and Ludwichowska were winners at the high profile Cinque Mulini cross country, with Walendziak being the 1976 champion. She made one major international appearance on the track, coming tenth in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

at the

1974 European Athletics Championships The 11th European Athletics Championships of 1974 were held from 2 September to 8 September in Italy, at Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. Men's results Complete results were pu ...

. Her career in the marathon began in 1979, when she won the inaugural edition of the

Warsaw Marathon The Warsaw Marathon ( Polish: ''Maraton Warszawski'' pronunced: , also referred to as the PZU Warsaw Marathon) is an annual marathon event which takes place on the streets of Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest annual marathon in Poland, held since 1 ...

. A second win followed at the Otwock Marathon. Her times continued to improve, with 2:48:42 hours for fourth at the 1982

Košice Peace Marathon The Košice Peace Marathon (Slovak: Medzinárodný maratón mieru) is an annual road marathon held in Košice, Slovakia, since 1924. It is the oldest marathon in Europe and the third-oldest in the world (after the Boston Marathon, first held ...

, 2:44:07 hours for third at the Berlin Marathon in 1983, then 2:41:34 hours for 18th at the New York City Marathon one month later. She set a time of 2:40:49 at the Debno Marathon, being runner-up to Jarmila Urbanová. The Debno race was the venue for the Polish Marathon Championships in 1985 and 1986, which she won both times, with her second winning time of 2:32:30 hours being a career best.Polish Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-02-09. Seventh place at the

1984 New York City Marathon The 1984 New York City Marathon was the 15th edition of the New York City Marathon and took place in New York City on 28 October. Results Men Women References External links * {{1984 in athletics New York City Marathon, 1984 Marath ...

was a high point internationally on the roads for Walendziak. She did not rank highly when selected for Poland on the roads, coming 60th at the 1983 IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships, failing to finish at the

1985 World Marathon Cup The 1985 World Marathon Cup was the first edition of the World Marathon Cup of athletics and were held in Hiroshima, Japan. Results Men Women References ;ResultsIAAF World Marathon Cup Results Men Association of Road Racing Statisticia ...

, and placing 23rd at the

European Marathon Cup The European Marathon Cup is a quadrennial team marathon competition between European countries. Initially a stand-alone championship race inaugurated in 1981 European Marathon Cup, 1981, the race has been held in conjunction with the European Athl ...

in both 1985 and 1988. In 1987 she won the Warsaw Marathon for the second time in her career (the time of 2:38:24 was her second fastest ever) and she was also 15th at the London Marathon that year. Her last recorded marathon was at the age of 44, when she ran 3:22:05 in Warsaw.

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walendziak, Renata Living people 1950 births People from Starogard County Polish female long-distance runners Polish female cross country runners Polish female marathon runners 20th-century Polish women 21st-century Polish sportswomen Athletes from Pomeranian Voivodeship Polish Athletics Championships winners