Marla Runyan
Encyclopedia
Marla Runyan (born January 4, 1969), is an American track and field
athlete, road runner
and marathon runner who is legally blind
. She is a three-time national champion in the women's 5000 metres.
Runyan was born in Santa Maria, California
. After graduating from Camarillo High School
in 1987, she went on to study at San Diego State University
, where she began competing in several sporting events: the heptathlon
, 200-meter dash
, high jump
, shot put
, 100-meter hurdles
, long jump
, javelin throw
and the 800-meter run
. In 1994 she received her master's degree.
Runyan won four gold medals at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
in the long jump and the 100, 200, and 400 meter races. She also competed in cycling at those games. She attempted to qualify for the "Able Bodied" Olympics at the 1996 U. S. Olympic Trials
, finishing 10th in the Heptathlon
. While failing to qualify, she ran the 800 meters in 2:04.70, the Heptathlon record. This success convinced her to try distance running. At the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, she took silver in the shot put and gold in the pentathlon
.
Her career as a world-class runner in able-bodied events began in 1999 at the Pan American Games
, where she won the 1,500-meter race. The next year, she placed eighth in the 1,500-meter in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, making Runyan the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympics and the highest finish by an American woman in that event.
By 2001 she won her first of three consecutive 5000 metre National Championships. She also released her autobiography "No Finish Line: My Life As I See It" In 2002 she added the road 5K and 10K National Championships, and married her coach, Matt Lonergan.
She finished as the top American at the 2002 New York Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 10 seconds to post the second-fastest debut time ever by an American woman. Being an international medalist at 1500 metres and a top major marathon runner is an accomplishment over a wide variety of distances rivaled only by Rod Dixon
on the men's side. Medaling at distances as short as 100 metres and diversely explosive events like Shot Put and Long Jump is remarkable versatility.
She won the road 5K again in 2003 and qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games by finishing second in the United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
. She took 2005 off to give birth to her first child, Anna Lee on September 1, but returned to the roads in 2006 winning her second National Championship at 20km (her first was in 2003). She was the USATF "Runner of the Year" in 2002 and 2006.
Arguably Runyan's greatest success came at the Paralympic Games
, where she has been a five times gold medallist.
Runyan currently holds the Paralympic World Records in the B3 division in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, High Jump, Long Jump and Pentathlon.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete, road runner
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
and marathon runner who is legally blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. She is a three-time national champion in the women's 5000 metres.
Runyan was born in Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
. After graduating from Camarillo High School
Adolfo Camarillo High School
Adolfo Camarillo High School is a high school located at 4660 Mission Oaks Boulevard in Camarillo, California. It was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 1996 and in 2009 and a National Blue Ribbon School in 1998. It is part of the Oxnard Union High School District. The land was...
in 1987, she went on to study at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, where she began competing in several sporting events: the heptathlon
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
, 200-meter dash
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
, high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
, shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, 100-meter hurdles
100 metres hurdles
The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
, long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
, javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
and the 800-meter run
800 metres
The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
. In 1994 she received her master's degree.
Runyan won four gold medals at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
1992 Summer Paralympics
The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport...
in the long jump and the 100, 200, and 400 meter races. She also competed in cycling at those games. She attempted to qualify for the "Able Bodied" Olympics at the 1996 U. S. Olympic Trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
, finishing 10th in the Heptathlon
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
. While failing to qualify, she ran the 800 meters in 2:04.70, the Heptathlon record. This success convinced her to try distance running. At the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, she took silver in the shot put and gold in the pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
.
Her career as a world-class runner in able-bodied events began in 1999 at the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
, where she won the 1,500-meter race. The next year, she placed eighth in the 1,500-meter in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, making Runyan the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympics and the highest finish by an American woman in that event.
By 2001 she won her first of three consecutive 5000 metre National Championships. She also released her autobiography "No Finish Line: My Life As I See It" In 2002 she added the road 5K and 10K National Championships, and married her coach, Matt Lonergan.
She finished as the top American at the 2002 New York Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 10 seconds to post the second-fastest debut time ever by an American woman. Being an international medalist at 1500 metres and a top major marathon runner is an accomplishment over a wide variety of distances rivaled only by Rod Dixon
Rod Dixon
Rodney Phillip "Rod" Dixon is a former New Zealand middle distance runner. He won the bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and in 1983 won the prestigious New York City Marathon.-Biography:...
on the men's side. Medaling at distances as short as 100 metres and diversely explosive events like Shot Put and Long Jump is remarkable versatility.
She won the road 5K again in 2003 and qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games by finishing second in the United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
. She took 2005 off to give birth to her first child, Anna Lee on September 1, but returned to the roads in 2006 winning her second National Championship at 20km (her first was in 2003). She was the USATF "Runner of the Year" in 2002 and 2006.
Arguably Runyan's greatest success came at the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
, where she has been a five times gold medallist.
Runyan currently holds the Paralympic World Records in the B3 division in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, High Jump, Long Jump and Pentathlon.
Achievements
| Representing the | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Twin Cities Marathon Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon is an annual marathon in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The race is often dubbed "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America." The TCM was first run in 1982, and typically takes place during the first weekend in October. In 2006 the Marathon agreed to its first... |
Minneapolis, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:32:15 |