Violet Piercy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Violet Stewart Louisa Piercy (born 24 December 1889[10]) was an English long-distance runner who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set the first women's world best in the marathon on 3 October 1926 with a time of 3:40:22.[4] [nb 1] Piercy was reported to have run unofficially[11] and her mark was set on the Polytechnic Marathon course between Windsor and London.[12][nb 2]

According to the IAAF, Piercy's mark stood 37 years until Merry Lepper's 3:37:07 performance at the Western Hemisphere Marathon on 16 December 1963.[4][nb 3]

Notes

  1. ↑ The marathon world record progression of the Association of Road Running Statisticians includes Piercy, however, it notes Marie-Louise Ledru of France as the first woman.[6] According to the ARRS, Ledru ran 5:40:xx at the Tour de Paris Marathon held on 29 September 1918.[7]
  2. ↑ A number of sources, including Kathrine Switzer, have reported that the venue for Piercy's mark was the actual Polytechnic Marathon;[1] however, records from the Association of Road Racing Statisticians confirm that the 1926 Polytechnic Marathon was held on 18 May.[2] The course for the Polytechnic Marathon did vary over the years[3] and there is currently very little information available to state exactly which route was run by Piercy. Although the IAAF progression notes the location for her performance as "Chiswick",[4] the Polytechnic Marathon did not end in Chiswick until 1938.[3] Prior to 1933, the Polytechnic Marathon ended at Stamford Bridge in West London.[3] An ESPN reference does note Stamford Bridge as the location where Piercy's run finished.[5]
  3. ↑ According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, the course for the Western Hemisphere Marathon was short in 1962 and 1963.[8] The ARRS also notes the date of the race as 14 December 1963.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.runwashington.com/archive0209/features/misckateswitzer.html
  2. ↑ http://www.arrs.net/HP_PolyM.htm
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.ianridpath.com/polymarathon/history.htm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009." (pdf). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. p. 653. Retrieved 19 May 2010. 
  5. ↑ http://www.espn.co.uk/espn/sport/story/159.html
  6. ↑ http://www.arrs.net/RecProg/RP_wwR.htm
  7. ↑ http://www.arrs.net/HP_ParisTourMa.htm
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Western Hemisphere Marathon". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 10 May 2010. "The 1962-63 courses are considered to have been short." 
  9. ↑ "World Marathon Rankings for 1963". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 10 May 2010. 
  10. ↑ http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/103698.html
  11. ↑ Sporting Females: Critical Issues in the History and Sociology of Women's Sports By Jennifer Hargreaves
  12. ↑ Noakes, Tim (2003). The Lore of Running (Fourth ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 675. ISBN 0-87322-959-2. 
Records
Preceded by
record established		 Women's Marathon World Record Holder
3 October 1926 – 16 December 1963*
(*see explanation in the Notes section) 		Succeeded by
United States Merry Lepper


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.