I remember watching this live on TV and everyone was cheering for her like mad. This was more than finishing a race, this was about being the first ever marathon for women after so many years of men saying that women couldn't do it. No one remembers the name of the winner, but everyone remembers that one runner that finished no matter what.
Joan Benoit, the winner, has been celebrated ever since. She won the US Olympic Marathon trial just 17 days after arthroscopic knee surgery, which Runners World Magazine has listed as the greatest individual woman’s Marathon performance in history. Grete Waitz finished second. She won the New York Marathon nine times, the World Cross Country Championship 5 times, and the Marathon in the inaugural World Athletics Championship in 1983. She is often credited as the single biggest reason the Marathon was added for women to the Olympic program. Both are legends in the running community and have been inspirations to women and girls world wide. Rosa Mota came in third, becoming the first woman from that country to win an Olympic medal. She went on to win the Marathon in 1988, becoming the first woman, at at the time only the second person, to win a gold medal for that country.
@@brettc6863 Up until the marathon runners entered the stadium it was a boring day. The tickets were for morning and early afternoon competitions, none of which were gold medal rounds, nor were there any gold medal awards ceremonies. It was brutally hot. Then the women marathons runners came in and then Andersen-Schiess appeared and the place went nuts.
She still averaged about 15km/hr. Most people, even people who run regularly, cannot stay at that pace for more than a few minutes. She went at it for 3 hours straight.
I remember 84 Olympics, I was crying, cheering her on. Since I was little girl I watched my first summer Olympic games in 72 till this day I love it. I did track an field. My favorite sport. I'm so proud of her.
I was there at the stadium in 1984 and witnessed the whole thing unfold. Just plain pride, grit and determination got her on that finish line. That was truly inspiring even more so at that time it was happening and still is. It gave me goosebumps watching this video of her in that 1984 Olympics.
The way they cheered for this brave determined woman who ran with so much heart... Pushed herself beyond the limits. Muscles locking up. Heat exhaustion beating on her.. and still crossed that finish line. I couldn’t help getting slightly choked up here. Amazing spirit and a badass woman. Bravo
I did 43km running from one town to another. My time was 2 hours and 40 minutes. I remember the 5-minute kilometres in the final sections of the run. But I could imagine I would probably be passing near exhausted runners struggling to finish like this, in an actual marathon.
She Is the perfect example of a warrior, it's not simply how far you go, it's how far you go after having emptied the last drop of Energy You have, this is what classifies Heroes.
I was at this game!! I was an 11 year old boy when my father took me. We sat close to the front row. When this lady came in and everyone could see her struggling, it was unbelievable what happened next. Everyone, without speaking a word, stood up in unison and cheered this lady to inconceivably will herself all the way to the finish line. She dug deeper than anyone I have ever seen. I have never witnessed anything like this in sports or other venues in life. Spectators from all over the world cheering an individual regardless of the country for whom she ran. It has impacted me to this day. She is my hero. She is up there with the Tank Man and Rosa Parks.
I remember that moment, i was watching it with my father and we stood up and cried. Since then every time my own life marathon gets too hard to go on, i remember her, i watch the video, i take a deep breath and i keep going.
So often it isn't just the medallists who inspire us. This reminds me of another Olympic marathon runner from Tanzania, John Stephen Akhari. It was Mexico 1968 and the last day of the Olympics. Due to the high elevation of Mexico city, a climate Mr Akhari had never trained in, he had terrible cramping and had fallen, sustaining injuries to his leg and head. This didn't stop him though. He had his injuries wrapped and he continued the race. He was the last runner to enter the stadium. It was dark and many spectators were heading home. Word got out about this lone runner and people stayed to cheer him on as he came into the stadium. For years after the clip of his lone struggle in the dark was used as an example in sports montages. The pain, courage and determination etched on his face. I hadn't thought of this in a long time but this clip brought back the memory.
I can't talk smack at all about her, my best marathon is 4 hours 30 minutes. She was nearly 2 hours faster than me. I think I looked like she did only about 5 miles earlier lol
Mr. Money The concept of keeping water from athletes during training is antiquated and has been shown to be detrimental and even dangerous. If you have a coach that still uses that practice I would strongly suggest going somewhere else.
Thapelo Mokoto That’s what known as water intoxication or hyperhydration. It is extremely rare in distance athletes. When it dies occur it is usually associated with ultra marathons (50 to 100 mile events). It typically happens when athletes drop to a walk but continue to drink large amounts of water. Athletes who are still performing at or near their competition level will lose water through sweat faster than they can absorb it. As I stated, it is extremely rare, and it does require a very specific and very uncommon set of circumstances. The real danger is dehydration, which is FAR more common and can quickly lead to heat stroke and death. (Runners World has run several articles on this subject over the years.)
Seeing someone enter the stadium like that and still have the heart to drive on is something that should inspire everyone watching. She was deep in the hurt locker, and willed herself to finish what she started. Strong performance.
What really moved me about her story was the thousands of people cheering her every step. This is the kind of thing that reminds me that humanity is awesome and people can overcome. It's beautiful to see how (com)passionate the crowd was.
I remember that race like yesterday. I was 26. We were standing in our living room cheering her on. Lot of heart she had... to me and alot of ppl all over the world, it was the best finish of all times. And still is
I remember this. Moments like this is why I have loved the Olympics my whole life. This is the heart of a champion 💖 it's not always about winning, it's about finishing
I remember too, Beth.... you are so right about finishing, it was an incredible experience for me at 17 watching her spirit and fight...,. simply incredible yes of course I cried too!!!!!
yeah back when you waited 4 years for the games ... now they are so often they are not even special anymore ... that and pretty much they all are doped
@@0623kaboom I like the new schedule but I really am an Olympics addict lol. Technically, it's still 4 years apart for both Summer and Winter games, they're just not both in the same year. As for the doping, no way are they all doped. They're tested too often and they're more strict about what they can and can't use. There's a lady from Africa who became an elite competitor in the triathlon, she's one of the best in the world. She also can't compete in international, sanctioned events because her natural testosterone levels are too high. No she's not trans, some women just have higher testosterone levels and she can't compete unless she takes drugs or has an operation to lower them. If they'll bar you for a naturally occurring hormone I'm pretty confident the IOC is testing them regularly
@andan04 Naah, she was actually super fast till she hit the wall! Her finishing time was 2:48 and a guy wrote above, that that time TODAY would be top 3% of all men in a regular marathon and would be a respectable time for a small nation athlete in competition for women today. 2:48 with that walking finish is no slouch, had she not skipped water she would've done a 2:44 or lower.
@@lewislittlewood5038Yes, but most distance runners just run for the sake of it and are not competitive. Your dad is probably capable of 2.20, but doesn’t push himself to that.
People’s feet bleed all the time when running especially in humidity or moisture when blisters can form and pop while running. Happens to girls on my HS team all the time, and no one on the girls team runs more than 10 miles. Idek if it is blood though, looks like it’s from the track.
I remember watching the end of the women's Marathon in 84 on TV. I stood there with my jaw almost to the floor in disbelief what Gabriela did. She and all the women there put that myth that women can't be as tough as men to rest. Talk about guts, she's got it a hundred times over. I'm so glad she made it and was ok a couple of hours later.
Derrick Redmond, Schiess , Kerri Strug .. Three Olympians that utterly brought me to tears.. In those moments of their events will never be forgotten ... ever ....
I live in LA, and that day will forever be etched in my memory. Everyone was cheering, clapping, urging her on. The best five minutes of all time in women's sports.
I remember that .. what stood out in my memory was that as she rounded the track the crowd standing to their feet in a ovation of support .. they didn't care what position she was in .. only that she was magnificent in the doing
I remember watching the 1984 Olympics. I remember the Swiss woman stumbling in. It was so inspiring and has stuck with me to this day. My biggest memory of that Olympics was Mary Lou Retton ❤️ - I was WAAAAY into gymnastics at the time and dreamed I’d compete in the Olympics someday, but knew deep down I’d never be that good (and knew I was too tall for gymnastics . . . Ended up playing collegiate volleyball!). Seems like it was yesterday. Ahhh, the memories . . .
I don't usually...but I cried at this..it was with respect for her willpower and perseverance...It reminded me of the multiple times I engaged in different sports and finished them to the end, not always as a winner, but with the true spirit and sportsmanship...it reminded me of my 75 yr old dad who marched down 7 km at Rajpath for days for Republic Day as part of the ex-servicemen troop in biting cold with pride even though he had a biting shoe and high fever...it reminded me of the never-die spirit of those who served their loved ones without being recognised...and many more
I'll give you my take on why it is inspiring. Running/finishing a marathon is both a physical and mental challenge. When the physical part becomes really hard, the mental part has to kick in. This video shows the power of the human spirit, something I really appreciate. In my one attempt, I had to walk the last 6 miles in pain, but my spirit pushed me. Another time I witnessed a gentleman with cerebral palsy complete a 5k (3.1 miles) one painful step at a time. What does this matter, you may ask? Well, when a person has to fight cancer, their spirit has to be strong. When a person has to deal with the death of their spouse, their spirit has to be strong. Every time we humans get to witness the power of the spirit, it should be inspiring to us.
NO, it isn't. It was disgusting to watch as officials should have intervened rather than let her risk her life like this. She was out of her mind with heat stroke and not even thinking clearly. The woman also finished near the bottom, there was nothing inspiring here, just a near death tragedy.
i cried everytime i watch it.. snd it always give me hope snd determination to go through hardships in wherever lifes throw at me... such an inspiration ..a moment that we all should always comesback everytime when were in doubt...
Please like this comment so people can understand why the commentator emphasizes "hot" temperatures that don't appear to be hot. At sea level with 90+% humidity, the ideal air temperature would be no more than 48° Fahrenheit (8°C) for a long distance race. This is why 67° Fahrenheit (19°C) is considered hot. It's NOT hot for normal room temperature; however, it's hot for distance running in general. The longer the run, the lower that temperature should be to allow your body to give off more heat and cool down. When you're running a long distance race, if your body can't cool itself properly because the weather is hot, your body naturally slows itself down to produce less heat. If you can't sweat out the excess heat because you didn't drink enough water in advance/during the race to produce perspiration, then you're at risk of heat stroke. Combine that information with a Swiss Olympic marathon runner on a hot day in LA and that's why this is incredible. She's perspiring and persevering.
meanwhile in Tokyo 2020, athletes are running marathons and the 50k racewalk with +30° and +70% humidity.... never heard anywhere that 19° is considered hot for running long distance, and humidity is another factor in the equation that should be considered. 25° is hot; at 20° you're probably not gonna break a world record but it's ok for racing. Dehydration is bad at whatever temperature, you can cool down with ice like the athletes at Tokyo did, but no ice is gonna rebalance your electrolytes. Stay hydrated, always.
This is personally inspiring. I don’t run, but I’m 39 and definitely in a metaphorical final lap. And I’m seeing all the positive and negative comments-and discerning all the kind and hateful people behind those words-and both sides, for different reasons, remind me to finish.
42 year old male here. Maybe it’s partly because it’s 2:00am and I have to wake up in about four hours but I just cried. Long tear out my left eye, short tear out my right eye and a big smile on my face. Never ever quit.
I heard about this story while watching the Olympic marathon today, and then, instead of watching it, I passed my time watching videos about this story, recent interviews of Gabriela, reading articles of today or these last days, and even 1 from 1984, and... yes, I cried a lot. I admit! I read many comments under the videos, and saw I was far far away to b the only 1 impressed, crying, respecting so much this great effort. R.e.s.p.e.c.t. Madam! A true Hollywood movie!
Absolutely incredible for her to get through that lap in such a condition - probably the enduring image of the Los Angeles Games if not the Olympic Games as a whole!!
Nah, the guy who ran the marathon came in dead last, so much in last place, they literally had to turn the lights back on in the stadium. When asked why he didn’t stop he said “ I’m running for my country”. True Olympic hero. Do a video on him