Joan Benoit Samuelson was out for her regular 20-mile run not long before the 1984 U.S. women's Olympic trials marathon when a sharp pain shot up her right knee.

It was the kind of pain that could hobble even Benoit, an athlete as tough as the Maine winters she trained through on her way to setting the world record in the marathon.

Benoit Samuelson tried to continue training, but even she could not make it through the pain. Finally, in desperation, she had surgery just 17 days before the trials. Not knowing if she would be able to finish, she did make the team, and the rest, as is said, is running history.

On a hot day in Los Angeles later that summer, Benoit Samuelson broke away from 1983 World Champion Grete Waitz, Lorraine Moller, Rosa Mota, Ingrid Kristiansen and Priscilla Welch, among others, to win the first women's Olympic marathon.

Now, a new film documents her journey. Titled "There is No Finish Line," the film outlines Benoit Samuelson's career as one of the best marathoners ever, male or female, as well as her passion for her family; for the environment; and for promoting fitness for the everyday person. Along with a handful of other women, most of whom she raced in that epic 1984 Olympic marathon, Benoit Samuelson is one of the pioneers of not just women's running, but of the trend toward health and wellness.


"Joanie is a great character," documentary co-producer Erich Lyttle said of working with Benoit Samuelson. "It was nine months and was pretty challenging. It was hard to keep up with her motor; she never quits."

"Never quitting" is a theme of Benoit Samuelson's career, from her early tomboy days skiing and ice skating with three sports-minded older brothers to winning that first women's Olympic marathon to racing at a high level into her 50s.

Mike Sandrock
Mike Sandrock

"There is No Finish Line" opens with the 2010 Chicago marathon, where Benoit Samuelson was attempting to qualify for another Olympic trials and, in doing so, became the first woman to break three hours for the marathon in five decades.

"Joanie always looks for a reason to run," Lyttle said Monday in a phone interview. "She is always running for a cause."

Co-producer Sarah Henderson added that "There is No Finish Line" is "not your typical sports film," in part because Benoit Samuelson "is not your typical athlete." With a documentary, she said, "It is about trust, and we were fortunate that Joanie had a long relationship with Geoff."

That would be the late Geoff Hollister, one of the first employees of Nike, who had known Benoit Samuelson since the 1984 Olympics. It was one of Hollister's final wishes, Henderson said, to be able to see the finished documentary, something he was able to do before he passed away.

"There is No Finish Line" is, Henderson added in an email message, "a project with heart."

"One thing about Joanie is that she says that some of the best stories are at the end of the pack," said Henderson, who brought independent musicians and original music by John Askew to the 48-minute film. "It is not about winning or being the best. It is about being out there. You don't have to run marathons to be a runner, and I like that. And the empowering sense of camaraderie when they get out there -- that is what Joanie is an advocate for."

Perhaps Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of the New York City and Boston marathons, summed up best what Lyttle called the "elusiveness" of Benoit Samuleson, when he says in the film, rubbing his hand through his hair, a bemused look on his face: "She is like a Jedi master."