Miles to Go Podcast with Joan Benoit Samuelson, Carol Monda cover art

Miles to Go

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Miles to Go

By: Peter McDonnell
Narrated by: Joan Benoit Samuelson, Carol Monda
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About this listen

 The first Olympic women's marathon and the battle for the right to run

On August 5, 1984, millions of people around the world watched the first ever women’s Olympic marathon live on ABC. Until this day, women had never been allowed to run even a mile at the Games, much less a marathon. When Joan Benoit Samuelson broke away from the lead pack at mile 3, it was a shocker. No runner had ever attacked so early and won an Olympic marathon. But on August 5th, there were a lot of firsts. The history of women’s distance running is a largely untold story of triumph over discrimination. For much of the 20th century, America’s cinder tracks and open roads became unlikely battlegrounds for a handful of pioneering women runners who broke the gender barrier in races, showing that women can be athletes too, and helped to advance women’s civil rights. But the Olympics were a last barrier for female distance runners, making the first women’s marathon at the Games a major milestone. In fact, US marathons had been open to women for only a decade. And before that, women in the US were prohibited from competing in runs of more than a few miles. Before that, they were hardly even allowed on the track. This is the story of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s incredible journey to the Olympics and of the other women who paved the way and competed against her, whose passion for running also became a race for equality - and change - that continues today. Joan has run over 160,000 miles in her life… and counting. Miles to Go. *MILES TO GO is being released in honor of Women’s History Month, and on the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 passage of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. ©2022 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC Sports
Episodes
  • Miles to Go - Trailer

    Miles to Go - Trailer
    Mar 3 2022
    The first Olympic women's marathon and the battle for the right to run

    On August 5, 1984, millions of people around the world watched the first ever women’s Olympic marathon live on ABC. Until this day, women had never been allowed to run even a mile at the Games, much less a marathon. When Joan Benoit Samuelson broke away from the lead pack at mile 3, it was a shocker. No runner had ever attacked so early and won an Olympic marathon. But on August 5th, there were a lot of firsts. The history of women’s distance running is a largely untold story of triumph over discrimination. For much of the 20th century, America’s cinder tracks and open roads became unlikely battlegrounds for a handful of pioneering women runners who broke the gender barrier in races, showing that women can be athletes too, and helped to advance women’s civil rights. But the Olympics were a last barrier for female distance runners, making the first women’s marathon at the Games a major milestone. In fact, US marathons had been open to women for only a decade. And before that, women in the US were prohibited from competing in runs of more than a few miles. Before that, they were hardly even allowed on the track. This is the story of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s incredible journey to the Olympics and of the other women who paved the way and competed against her, whose passion for running also became a race for equality - and change - that continues today. Joan has run over 160,000 miles in her life… and counting. Miles to Go. *MILES TO GO is being released in honor of Women’s History Month, and on the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 passage of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.
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    1 min
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  • Episode 1: Last Shall Come First

    Episode 1: Last Shall Come First
    Mar 3 2022
    Joan and the world’s best marathoners meet in LA to compete in the first ever women’s Olympic marathon. Men have been competing in marathons since the modern games were created in 1896, so why did it take until 1984 for women to get the chance?
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    20 mins
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  • Episode 2: Cross the Line

    Episode 2: Cross the Line
    Mar 3 2022
    Joan runs in the lead pack as commentators speculate whether her surgically repaired knee will hold up. One of the people watching is Julia Chase Brand, who became the first woman - when Joan was just four years old - to break the gender barrier in distance running in 1961 by crashing the famous men’s only Manchester Road Race and making headlines.
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    25 mins
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About the Narrator

Joan Benoit Samuelson is an American runner and the winner of the first ever women’s Olympic marathon, held in 1984. She is a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon as well as the winner of numerous other marathons and road and track races. In 1983, Joan set a world record in the marathon and has set numerous American and course records. Known for her mental toughness, Joan overcame serious injury to run the Olympic marathon, where her commanding win ushered in a new era of popularity and competitiveness in women’s running. But she has always said that none of her success would have been possible if not for the pioneering women runners who came before her and broke the gender barrier in track and road racing.
In 1998, Joan founded the Beach to Beacon 10k road race, which ends at one of America’s most famous lighthouses—Portland Head Light. The annual Beach to Beacon 10k shines the light on kids and benefits a different children’s charity each year. The race attracts over 6,000 athletes including an international field of some of the world’s top distance runners.
Joan and her husband Scott Samuelson have two grown children and live in Maine, not far from where Joan grew up. She still runs the same roads as when she trained for the Olympics.

Peter McDonnell
Carol Monda
Additional Details

About the Creator and Writer

Peter McDonnell is an author and producer of audiobooks, audio series, and podcasts.
He is a writer and executive producer of the New York Times bestseller Evil Has a Name, as well as Call Me God, selected as one of Audible’s Top 10 Listens of 2019, Shootout, Brooklyn North, The Riddle of Emmon Bodfish, selected as one of Audible’s Best Listens of 2021, A Devil in the Valley, and After the Fall. Peter has executive produced many other audio series including the sports series Out of Bounds. Peter is a co-executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Pandemic and the NBC documentary series The Forgotten West Memphis Three.
Peter runs the audio department at XG Productions. He and his wife, Sarah, and their two children live in Los Angeles, where Peter–a lifelong fan of endurance sports–also coaches mountain biking.

About the Narrator

Carol Monda is an audiobook narrator, voiceover talent, and veteran actor. She is a two-time Audie Award winner, a recipient of AudioFile’s Earphone Awards, and has been featured in several publications’ Top 10 Audiobooks of the Year lists. Carol has narrated over 400 audiobooks in genres including Mystery, Biography, Memoir, Horror, History, Dramatic Fiction, Crime, Inspirational, Young Adult, Fantasy, Politics and Government, Sci-Fi, Western, Pulp Fiction, Humor, Romance, Thriller, and Sports.

XG Productions

Created, Written, Directed, and Produced by Peter McDonnell
Presented by Joan Benoit Samuelson and Carol Monda
Edited by Peter McDonnell and Andrea Bruce
Dialogue Editing, Sound Design, Mixing and Mastering by Matt Gurgol
Assistant Produced by Sydney Sidell
Field Recording in Los Angeles by Matt Gurgol
Field Recording in Portland, Maine by Sean Slaughter
Studio Recording by Flying Sound (Portland, Maine), Central Oregon Recording (Bend, OR), Ausicle Studios (Ayer, MA), CedarHouse Sound & Mastering (North Sutton, NH), 48 Windows Music & Mix (Los Angeles), RAL Studios (State College, PA), CyberSound Recording Studios (Boston, MA), The Bridge Sound & Stage (Cambridge, MA), The Hit Room Studio (New London, CT), and Buttons NY (NYC, NY), and Polaroide Music (Oslo, Norway)
Narration Recording at John Marshall Media, Inc. (NYC, NY)*
Original Music by Matt Gurgol
Cover Art by Ivan Canu
Executive Producers for XG Productions: Peter McDonnell, Spencer Gordon, and Peter Clemente
Produced by XG Productions

All stars
Most relevant  
Even though I grew up during this time I never knew the history. I found it interesting and enlightening.

I remember my wife’s grandmother telling me during a visit in the early 80’s that I needed to put my foot down and stop my wife from running. That running was bad for girls, that it would shake her insides up and they could fall out. I now have an idea where that belief came from. Ironically, before her visit we had to also assure her that the Indians weren’t on the warpath, that our roads were paved and that we had power and TVs.

As a man I didn’t really appreciate the struggle women had to just get out and run. Clothes and shoes weren’t available was eye opening.

I enjoyed this podcast.

Enjoyable listen

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Some stories are inspiring but feel distant. These stories and athletes (the women, of course, but also the men who supported and protected them) feel like people I could relate to. They are gutsy and talented. They are humble and driven. And, I am so grateful for their effort, athleticism and bravery. What a great listen!

Should be required for every young athlete

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Wonderful weaving of the struggle to establish the rightful place of women in competitive running with Joan Benoit Samuelson’s path to winning the inaugural Womens Olympic Marathon. Loved hearing the voices of so many of the women runners who brought down the barriers to their full participation in the sport. They made this history and their involvement in this series makes it an authentic record. Joan is an inspirational athlete on all levels.

Exhilarating, Inspiring

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Listened on a training runs and recommended it to all my runner friends. Enjoy it.

Fantastic

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I thought that this was a compelling story. I am a runner so i was familiar with it but i recommend it to non-runners as well. Joan's story is one of courage and perseverance that will inspire everyone.

Fantastic!

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I can’t believe at 43 years old, a female runner since I was a child, I have completely taken for granted my opportunities to compete. I’m so thankful for the stories in this podcast and for the brave ladies who have made a way for so many! I really had no idea how recently the battle was real.

So Inspiring

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This was just awesome listening to the stories of the women that changed women’s running in America.

So many talented women narrating!

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I absolutely love this series. My husband and I binge listened to it at dinner and continued until bedtime. We were both inspired by Joan's dogged persistence, courage, and focus. And we both admire her kindness and humility which came through her words and voice. We highly recommend this amazing and true story.

Long Distance Runner

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If you were alive in 1984, as I was, you know how the story ends. Nevertheless I did not know all the details for women’s competition in the Olympics that preceded. This story exposes that Joan Benoit and particularly many activists, of course, all women, did more than run marathons to change minds and open the field up for all humans. This is compelling history, and well told.

Inspirational Story

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I thought I knew all about the history of women’s running, but turns out I barely scratched the surface. I love this series so much and want every woman (and man tbh) runner I know to listen!

Gripping and Inspiring

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