Julie Ann Brown (born February 4, 1955) is an American retired distance runner. She won the IAAF World Cross Country Championship in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and represented the United States in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

in the women's marathon, placing 36th. Brown set the American women's marathon record at the Nike OTC Marathon in 1978, running 2:36:23. Brown concentrated on track and cross-country running prior to the Olympic trials but a victory in the Avon Women's Marathon in 1983 convinced her that she could qualify for the Olympic marathon team. She ran a conservative race staying in the pack until the midway point and broke away finishing second, 37 seconds behind the Olympic trials winner,

Joan Benoit 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 woma ...

. She broke the 10,000 metres world record setting a time of 35:00.4 minutes in 1975. After her track career, Brown received her J.D. from

Western State University Western State College of Law at Westcliff University is a Private university, private, For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit Law school in the United States, law school in Irvine, California. It offers full and part-time ...

and, joined a law firm as an attorney.

High school

Brown was born in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

, and competed in a variety of distance events winning several state championships while attending

Billings Senior High School Billings Senior High School, located in Billings, Montana, and part of the Billings Public Schools District, opened in 1940. Billings Senior High School is a comprehensive public institution. Notable alumni *Stanley Anderson, actor *John Bohlinge ...

. She competed in the 880-yard run winning the state championship for three years in a row starting in 1970. She still holds the All-State record with an 880-yard time of 2:11.0. She also won two 440-yard run championships and in her senior year, she was state cross-country champion as well.

College

Brown started at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

before switching to California State University, Northridge. As a college athlete she won Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national championships in the

800 meters The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

, 1500 meters, 3000 meters, and cross-country. Brown recalls how her UCLA cross country coach mistreated her and because of the environment at UCLA she decided to transfer to

CSUN California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

. She also won

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

national titles in the

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athleti ...

, 3000 meters, cross-country, and marathon, as well as winning The Athletics Congress national titles in 3000 meters, cross-country, and marathon.

US Championships

Julie Brown ended her running career in 1985 as a 13-time national champion and 20-time

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

member either in track and cross country. Brown placed 8th at 1985 New York Marathon in 2:37:53 and 2nd at 1982 New York Marathon in 2:28:33. Brown won 1981 Dallas Marathon in 2:33:40.

International

Brown placed 27th at 1974 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race in 13:34.8. Brown won an IAAF World Cross Country Championship in

in 13:42; the first American woman to do so. She won the race in a time of 13:42, five seconds ahead of Bronisława Ludwichowska from Poland. At the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

, Brown won three silver medals, taking second place in the 800 meters, 1500 meters, and 3000 meters. After graduating from

, Brown moved to

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

to train for the 1980 Olympics. Brown qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics in the 800 meters and 1500 meters but did not compete due to the boycott of the Olympics. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

instead. She entered the marathon at the inaugural 1983 World Championships in Athletics, but failed to finish the competition. Brown was sponsored by Adidas who set her up with coach

Bill Dellinger William "Bill" Solon Dellinger (born March 23, 1934) is a retired American middle-distance runner. He competed in the 5,000 m at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1964, setting his personal record.Eugene, Oregon in 1983 so she could focus on the marathon distance.

Bobbi Gibb Roberta Louise Gibb (born November 2, 1942) is an American former runner who was the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon (1966). She is recognized by the Boston Athletic Association as the pre-sanctioned era women's winner in 1966 ...

, the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon, sculpted three 12-inch bronze figurines of a running pony-tailed girl that were given as trophies to

, Julie Brown, and

Julie Isphording Mary Julie Isphording (born December 5, 1961, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a retired female long-distance runner from the United States. She competed for her native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. However, she did not rea ...

, the top three women marathoners at the US Olympic trials in 1984. Julie Brown trained on

President Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

ranch prior to 1984 Olympic Games to adjust to the heat and humidity of 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Brown did compete in the 1984 Olympics in the marathon, placing 36th. Brown was later sponsored by Champion products; Brown was featured in magazines in an international ad for

Vaseline Vaseline ()Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable . is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products owned by transnational company Unilever. Products include plain petroleum jelly and a selection of skin creams, soa ...

- Sponsored Athletes in the 1980's only made six figures, so Julie Brown went to law school at night to pursue a career. In July 2008, President Carter gave the 1980

athletes Congressional

.U.S. Congress Awards Congressional Gold Medals to 1980 Olympic Team
NBC Sports

References

External links

* *
Julie Ann Brown
at Olympics.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Julie 1955 births Living people Sportspeople from Billings, Montana Track and field athletes from Montana American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners American female cross country runners Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Cross Country Championships winners World record setters in athletics (track and field) UCLA Bruins women's track and field athletes California State University, Northridge alumni Cal State Northridge Matadors women's track and field athletes Western State University College of Law alumni Congressional Gold Medal recipients Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games 20th-century American women