22-Sep-1979 – Avon International Women’s Marathon – 2:36:27 – Puma Top Runner
Date of birth: 26-Oct-1937
Nationality: English
Women-Only World Record duration: 10 months, 12 days
The athlete:
It is thanks to the efforts of Kathrine Switzer that the Avon International Women’s Marathon series began in 1978, Switzer putting her considerable energy into proving to th International Olympic Committee that the women’s marathon should be part of the Olympics. This was in parallel to similarly strident efforts by former marathon world record holder Jacqueline Hansen who was lobbying the IAAF to include the same athletic events for women as were available to men.
The second race in the series was held at Waldniel in Germany, a location which itself has some significance for women’s distance running. It was there in 1973 where he hosted the first women’s only marathon, as part of his efforts to prove that women should have the ability to compete in all the same athletics disciplines as men.
To encourage participation for the 1979 Avon International Women’s Marathon there was no entry fee. The 263 starters faced warm conditions for the race, Joyce Smith among their number, who had secured her place after winning on debut at the 1979 British Championships. You can read more about her previous exploits at shorter distances here.
She would win comfortably despite being up against competition including former world record holders Jacqueline Hansen, Liane Winter, and Michiko Gorman (Winter’s world record was set at the Boston Marathon, which is not strictly a record eligible course). Her performance, given the nature of the event, was also the new women’s only marathon world record! It would also secure her an invite to the 1979 Tokyo International Women’s Marathon, which she won before setting the marathon world record at the 1980 event.
The shoes:
This has proven pretty difficult, but at least from photos of Smith and the 1979 Avon International Women’s Marathon and Tokyo International Women’s Marathon we know they were Puma. Based on the photos I’ve seen, they do not have grey overlays like some Pumas of that time, and the rear Puma logo is not bright orange but navy, so the shoes are likely either the Top Runner or Whirlwind.
Both of these shoes are hard to find information about, but the Top Runner (and based on photos the Whirlwind too) is based on a track spike last. This would make the shoe more focussed for elite distance racing, noting as well that Smith changed to the Puma Supersonic for 1980 which was extremely lightweight and similarly designed for racing.
As always, if anyone out there has anymore information to share to clarify, it would be greatly appreciated.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Smith
https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/4649003.i-hit-the-track-and-did-well/
https://athleticsweekly.com/featured/london-winner-joyce-smith-ahead-time-16597/
https://runyoung50.co.uk/i-was-a-little-bit-before-my-time-pioneering-marathon-runner-joyce-smith/
https://more.arrs.run/runner/7975
https://news.germanroadraces.de/international/a-pioneering-project-dr-david-martin-recalls-in-distance-running-how-an-extraordinary-race-staged-in-atlanta-30-years-ago-eventually-won-olympic-status-for-marathon-runners-25-years-avon-frauenl/
https://runyoung50.co.uk/the-first-london-marathon/
http://oldposter.sneakerlab.net/puma/puma-easy-rider-top-rider-munchen-puma-put-you-first-20160309.html
https://www.thedeffest.com/vintage-ads/puma-great-cat-family-1979-vintage-sneaker-ad