Elizabeth Bonner (June 9, 1952 – October 9, 1998) was an American long-distance runner. On May 9, 1971, Bonner ran a 3:01:42 marathon time in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

at the AAU Eastern Regional Championships, breaking the

world best A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

set one year earlier by Caroline Walker. On September 19, 1971, she became the first winner of the women's division of the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

at the age of 19. Some sources question the validity of Adrienne Beames' 2:46:30 time one month earlier, so Bonner's 2:55:22 performance at New York is frequently credited as the first sub-three hour performance by a woman. She attended Brandywine College.c/e In 1994 she was coaching in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. She died in

Kerrville, Texas Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...

in 1998 when she was hit by a truck while biking. An annual 5K run is held in her name in

Arthurdale, West Virginia Arthurdale is an unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. It was built in 1933, at the height of the Depression as a social experiment to provide opportunities for unemployed local miners and farmers. Arthurdale wa ...

References

External links

Beth Bonner - Road Runners Club Hall of Fame (2008 inductee)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonner, Beth 1952 births 1998 deaths American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners Track and field athletes from West Virginia People from Reedsville, West Virginia New York City Marathon female winners 20th-century American women 20th-century American people