| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | (1937-10-26)26 October 1937 (age 87) Stoke Newington, England |
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 52 kg (115 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 1500 metres 3000 metres marathon |
| Club | Barnet and District AC |
Joyce Esther SmithMBE (néeByatt, born 26 October 1937)[1] is a British formerlong-distance runner. She broke theworld record in the 3000 metres in 1971 and is a three-time medallist at theInternational/World Cross Country Championships, including winning in 1972. She went on to twice win theLondon Marathon, becoming the first British woman in history to run under 2:30 when winning in 1981 with 2:29:57, before further improving the British record to 2:29:43 when winning in 1982. She also competed in the 1500 metres at the1972 Munich Olympics and finished 11th in the marathon at the1984 Los Angeles Olympics, aged 46.
Smith was born inStoke Newington, London, and began running competitively in the 1950s, at which time the longest distance for women in international competitions was800 metres. She won the English National Crosscountry Championship (AAA) in 1959 and 1960.[2]
Smith became thenational 1 mile champion after winning the BritishWAAA Championships title at the1965 WAAA Championships.[3][4][5] and during that year, she toldAthletics Weekly that she intended to continue competing "for two more years at the most" and stopped running competitively in 1968.[6]
Smith returned to competitive running in 1969, and broke theworld record for the3000 metres distance at the1971 WAAA Championships.[7][8] She won the bronze medal in 1971, the gold medal in 1972 and the silver medal in 1973 in theIAAF World Cross Country Championships.[9] She reached the semi-final of the1500 metres at the1972 Olympic Games. In 1973, she won her third National Crosscountry Championship[2] She won the bronze medal in 3000 m at theEuropean Athletics Championships in 1974.
In 1978, she retired from track running after setting a new world record for 3000 m in the age group W40 of 9:11.2 minutes, which was broken 27 years later,[10] and ran her first marathon in 1979, beating the previous British record held byRosemary Cox by nine minutes and seventeen seconds in a time of 2:41:37.[11]
In 1979, she won theAvon International Marathon inWaldniel and the British national title at Sandbach.[12] In 1979 and 1980, she won the first two editions of theTokyo International Women's Marathon. In 1980, she set a new British 25 kilometre record of 1:28:18 inBruges, which was also the new W40 world record which was broken 24 years later.[13]
In 1981, she won the firstLondon Marathon in 2:29:57, becoming the first British woman and the first woman over 40 to complete the distance in less than two and a half hours. A year later, she won the event in 2:29:43, again setting a new British record, and becoming the oldest woman to win the race at 44 years, 195 days, a record which has not yet been broken.[14]
In the first World Athletics Championships in 1983 inHelsinki, she finished ninth in the marathon. In 1984, she became the oldest female Olympic athlete by running in thefirst women's Olympic marathon, and finished eleventh at the age of 46.
She retired from competitive running in 1986 after setting a new W45 record for the ten-mile distance of 55:33.[15]
In the1984 New Year Honours, Smith was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to athletics.[16][17] She and her husband, Bryan, are on the board of trustees of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.[18] Bryan is a marathon coach who also organises the Mini London Marathon.[19]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Great Britain and England | |||||
| 1971 | International Cross Country Championships | San Sebastián, Spain | 3rd | 4.5 km | 11:24 |
| 1972 | International Cross Country Championships | Cambridge, United Kingdom | 1st | 4.5 km | 16:11 |
| Olympic Games | Munich, Germany | 12th (sf) | 1500 m | 4:09.4 | |
| 1973 | World Cross Country Championships | Waregem, Belgium | 2nd | 4 km | 13:58 |
| 1974 | World Cross Country Championships | Monza, Italy | 7th | 4 km | 13:04 |
| European Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | 3000 m | 8:57.39 | |
| 1978 | World Cross Country Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 9th | 4.7 km | 17:23 |
| 1979 | Avon International Women's Marathon | Waldniel, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:36:27 |
| Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:37:48 | |
| 1980 | Avon International Women's Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 7th | Marathon | 2:41:22 |
| Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo, Japan | 1st | Marathon | 2:30:27 | |
| 1981 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 1st | Marathon | 2:29:57 |
| 1982 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon | Osaka, Japan | 5th | Marathon | 2:35:34 |
| London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 1st | Marathon | 2:29:43 | |
| 1983 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon | Osaka, Japan | 8th | Marathon | 2:40:01 |
| World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 9th | Marathon | 2:34:27 | |
| 1984 | Nagoya International Women's Marathon | Nagoya, Japan | 6th | Marathon | 2:38:55 |
| Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 11th | Marathon | 2:32:48 | |
| 1985 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon | Osaka, Japan | 7th | Marathon | 2:38:09 |
| 1986 | Osaka International Ladies Marathon | Osaka, Japan | 14th | Marathon | 2:42:36 |
| (sf) Indicates overall position in semifinal round | |||||
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| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Women's Fastest Marathon Race 1980 | Succeeded by |