Benji Durden
Encyclopedia
Benji Durden is a Boulder, Colorado
based coach of elite runners who came to prominence as a distance runner
in the early 1980s, at the height of the American running boom. Durden was a member of the titular 1980 Summer Olympics
United States marathon
team, placing second against what to that point was perhaps the deepest field of American marathoners ever assembled. With a personal record of 2:09:57, Durden recorded 25 sub-2:20 marathons in less than a decade. He ranked among the top ten US marathoners six straight years, reaching seventh in the world in 1982.
as a youth, aspiring to become a miler. After moving to Georgia, he attended the University of Georgia
, in Athens
(UGA), where he ran the mile in 4:15 as a freshman. He graduated from UGA in 1973.
After college, Durden moved to Stone Mountain
, becoming a fixture on the Atlanta
-area running scene while working at Jeff Galloway
’s Phidippides running shop.
Durden won the inaugural Cooper River Bridge Run
, which was shortened to 9,850 meters by authorities after the gun started for the race, in 1978.
, to Niagara Falls, Ontario
, Durden finished second in the symbolic US Olympic Trials (the boycott had already been announced by the time the Trials were held in May) against one of the deepest field of American marathoners ever assembled. Durden surged into the lead at the 19 mile mark and built up a ten second advantage over the lead runners until Anthony Sandoval
caught him in the 23rd mile. Sandoval pulled away in the 24th mile and went on to win the race. Durden finished second in a time of 2:10:40.3, a personal best by over three minutes.
The race was intended to determine the US Olympic team for the marathon at that summer's Summer Olympics
in Moscow, USSR; however, President Carter had ordered the team to sit out the Olympics, and therefore the race amounted to a quest for nothing, as there was no prize for the runners, as would be the case in the quadrennial special race.
. After he dropped out, he told friends, "Anyone who runs a marathon is sick."
In 1975, Durden returned to the Peach Bowl Marathon
, seeking to break 2:23, the Olympic trials qualifying mark for the 1976 Summer Olympics
. He finished in 2:36, well off the qualifying standard. But at the 1976 AAU
National Marathon Championship Rice Festival Marathon in Lafayette, Louisiana
, he finished second in 2:20:23.
Durden's first marathon win came in 1977, in Columbia, South Carolina (which had a marathon at the time; that race was last run in 2000 as the U. S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials) in 2:19.04.
Durden lowered his personal bests with impressive races at the 1979 Nike/OTC marathon (2:13:47) and the New York City Marathon
(2:13:49), before having his big breakthrough in the 1980 "Olympic Trials" (which was not for the Olympic team) race. His lifetime best of 2:09:57 (4:57/pace per mile) came with his 3rd place finish in the 1983 Boston Marathon
.
Durden continues to run, returning to Huntsville, Alabama
(where he had finished his last marathon fourteen years earlier), where he competed in his first marathon as a Grand Masters (50 and older) runner in 2005, finishing in 3:08:34. In December, 2006, he returned to Sacramento where he recorded a time of 3:01:03 at the California International Marathon
.
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
based coach of elite runners who came to prominence as a distance runner
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
in the early 1980s, at the height of the American running boom. Durden was a member of the titular 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
United States marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
team, placing second against what to that point was perhaps the deepest field of American marathoners ever assembled. With a personal record of 2:09:57, Durden recorded 25 sub-2:20 marathons in less than a decade. He ranked among the top ten US marathoners six straight years, reaching seventh in the world in 1982.
Early life and education
Durden ran track in Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
as a youth, aspiring to become a miler. After moving to Georgia, he attended the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, in Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
(UGA), where he ran the mile in 4:15 as a freshman. He graduated from UGA in 1973.
After college, Durden moved to Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
, becoming a fixture on the Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
-area running scene while working at Jeff Galloway
Jeff Galloway
Jeff Galloway is a former American Olympian and the author of Galloway's Book on Running....
’s Phidippides running shop.
Durden won the inaugural Cooper River Bridge Run
Cooper River Bridge Run
The Cooper River Bridge Run is an annual one-way road running event held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Saturday in April, unless it is the day before Easter Sunday, when the event is held on the last Saturday in March...
, which was shortened to 9,850 meters by authorities after the gun started for the race, in 1978.
A Symbolic Quest for Nothing
In 1980, on a course running from Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, to Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
, Durden finished second in the symbolic US Olympic Trials (the boycott had already been announced by the time the Trials were held in May) against one of the deepest field of American marathoners ever assembled. Durden surged into the lead at the 19 mile mark and built up a ten second advantage over the lead runners until Anthony Sandoval
Anthony Sandoval
Anthony "Tony" B. Sandoval was a world class marathon runner, most noted for winning the 1980 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials, in the year the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics...
caught him in the 23rd mile. Sandoval pulled away in the 24th mile and went on to win the race. Durden finished second in a time of 2:10:40.3, a personal best by over three minutes.
The race was intended to determine the US Olympic team for the marathon at that summer's Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow, USSR; however, President Carter had ordered the team to sit out the Olympics, and therefore the race amounted to a quest for nothing, as there was no prize for the runners, as would be the case in the quadrennial special race.
Marathon career
Durden's marathon career debuted at the 1974 Peach Bowl MarathonChick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
. After he dropped out, he told friends, "Anyone who runs a marathon is sick."
In 1975, Durden returned to the Peach Bowl Marathon
Chick-fil-A Bowl
The Chick-fil-A Bowl, formerly called the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and before that simply called the Peach Bowl, is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Grant Field on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta....
, seeking to break 2:23, the Olympic trials qualifying mark for the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
. He finished in 2:36, well off the qualifying standard. But at the 1976 AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations 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.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
National Marathon Championship Rice Festival Marathon in Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, he finished second in 2:20:23.
Durden's first marathon win came in 1977, in Columbia, South Carolina (which had a marathon at the time; that race was last run in 2000 as the U. S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials) in 2:19.04.
Durden lowered his personal bests with impressive races at the 1979 Nike/OTC marathon (2:13:47) and the New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
(2:13:49), before having his big breakthrough in the 1980 "Olympic Trials" (which was not for the Olympic team) race. His lifetime best of 2:09:57 (4:57/pace per mile) came with his 3rd place finish in the 1983 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
.
Durden continues to run, returning to Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
(where he had finished his last marathon fourteen years earlier), where he competed in his first marathon as a Grand Masters (50 and older) runner in 2005, finishing in 3:08:34. In December, 2006, he returned to Sacramento where he recorded a time of 3:01:03 at the California International Marathon
California International Marathon
The California International Marathon is a 26-mile, 385-yard road race in Northern California. The course follows an historic gold-miners' round beginning at Folsom Dam and passing through rural Sacramento and ends at the California State Capitol. The race starts at an elevation of 366 ft...
.
Achievements
| Representing the | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Houston Marathon Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race... |
Houston, United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
1st | Marathon | 2:11:12 |
| 1983 | World Championships 1983 World Championships in Athletics The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983.... |
Helsinki, Finland | 39th | Marathon | 2:20:38 |
External links
- Boston.com - 'Meyer, Benoit Score for Massachusetts' (April 18, 1983)
- CopacabanaRunners.net - 'Run Long', Benji Durden (1996)
- Prismnet.com - 'The Path to Marathon Success', Benji Durden
- RunningTimes.com - 'Still Running, Still Dreaming... ...Still Benji', John A. Kissane, Running Times (January, 2006)