Marla Runyan

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Marla Runyan, born January 4, 1969 in Santa Maria, California, is a marathon runner who is legally blind.

After graduating from Camarillo High School in 1987, Ruyan went on to study at San Diego State University, where she began competing in several sporting events: the heptathlon, 200-meter dash, high jump, shot put, 100-meter hurdle, long jump, javelin throw, and the 800-meter run. In 1994 she received her master's degree.

Runyan's career as a world-class runner began in 1999 at the Pan American Games, where she won the 1,500-meter race. The next year, she placed eighth in the 1,500-meter in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, making Runyan the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Games and the highest finish by an American woman in that event.

In 2000, Runyan became an international star as the first-ever Paralympian to compete in the Olympic Games. In 2002 she finished as the top American at the 2002 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 10 seconds to post the second-fastest debut time ever by an American woman.