1-Aug-1986 – Commonwealth Games – 2:26:07 – Nike Mariah
Date of birth: 12-May-1960
Nationality: Australian
The athlete:
Lisa Ondeiki had not planned to lead from the outset of the marathon at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, but she nonetheless soon found herself doing exactly that. Expecting her competition to catch up with her, Ondeiki found herself slowing down to conserve her energy.
The challenge never came, Ondeiki later saying it was the easiest race of her professional career. Nonetheless, she would cross the line in 2:26:07 and set a new personal best for the marathon. She was more than two minutes ahead of Lorraine Moller.
As discussed in some of my other articles, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS) do not consider the course for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics to have been of record quality. On this basis the women’s only marathon world record set by Joan Benoit does not in their view count.
This is despite that course having been measured to modern standards, with an overall net climb and the distance between the start and finish meeting World Athletics eligibility criteria. I have relied on the ARRS and their expertise in creating this website, so it is possible I have missed something and according have included this mark.
The shoes:
For most of the eighties Ondeiki preferred the Nike Mariah for marathon racing, the model first introduced in 1980. As the first ever racing flat with full-length air cushioning, she was not the only elite athlete with similar tastes. Nike claimed improvements in running efficiency of two percent, the model more than enough to power Ondeiki to the women’s only marathon world record in 1988, and Ingrid Kristiansen to outright women’s marathon world records in 1984 and 1985.
References:
https://www.sctathletics.com/r1998_07.html
https://www.athletics.com.au/hall-of-fame/lisa-ondieki/
https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/lisa-ondieki-martin/
https://more.arrs.run/runner/1608
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Martin_(runner)
https://wamsteeker.com/?p=1651
https://www.shoesyourvintage.com/product/vintage-1981-nike-mariah/
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/119465656
https://athleticsweekly.com/news/meetings/commonwealth-games-womens-marathon-7247/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_1986_Commonwealth_Games_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_marathon
https://rrtc.net/Articles/LA84.pdf
https://worldathletics.org/records/certified-roadevents