Elizabeth Bonner (June 9, 1952 – October 9, 1998) was an American

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 stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

. On May 9, 1971, Bonner ran a 3:01:42 marathon time in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

at the AAU Eastern Regional Championships, breaking the world best 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 as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...

at the age of 19. Some sources question the validity of

Adrienne Beames Adrienne Beames (7 September 1942, Victoria, Australia – 27 December 2018) was an Australian long-distance runner frequently credited as the first woman to break the 3-hour barrier in the marathon. 1971 marathon attempt In the early 1970s, ...

' 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. Bonner was attending Brandywine College as a freshman when she had her sub-three hour race in the New York City Marathon. Bonner earned a PhD from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

. She also coached running in Louisiana and in

Kerrville, Texas Kerrville is a city in Texas, 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-fo ...

Schreiner University Schreiner University is a Private university, private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian university in Kerrville, Texas. The university enrolls an estimated 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers over 40 four-year undergraduat ...

. She died in

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 area, unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. It was built in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression as a social experiment to provide op ...

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 Preston County, West Virginia New York City Marathon female winners Deaths of competitors in athletics 20th-century American sportswomen