Beth Bonner was a long-distance runner from Reedsville

Reedsville, West Virginia

Reedsville is a town in Preston County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 517 at the 2000 census.Reedsville was named for James Reed, who moved to the area in 1827 and owned land covering most of the future townsite. The first house in the community was built in 1855, and the...

, West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

. On May 9, 1971, Bonner ran a 3:01:42 marathon time in Philadelphia at the AAU Eastern Regional Championships, breaking the world best set one year earlier by Caroline Walker

Caroline Walker

Caroline Walker is a former American long-distance runner from Oregon who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best in the marathon on February 28, 1970 with a time of 3:02:53 at the inaugural Trail's End Marathon in Seaside, Oregon.Walker's...

. On September 19, 1971, she became the first winner of the women's division of 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...

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

Adrienne Beames

Adrienne Beames is an Australian long-distance runner frequently credited as the first woman to break the 3-hour barrier in the marathon...

' 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.

She attended Brandywine College.

In 1994 she was coaching in Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. She died in Kerrville, Texas

Kerrville, Texas

Kerrville is a city in Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population was 20,425 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the population was 22,826...

 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, West Virginia

Arthurdale is an unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia, United States. Arthurdale was named for Richard Arthur, former owner of the land on which it was built, who had sold the land to the federal government under a tax default....

.