Maureen Wilton

Maureen "Moe" Wilton (born November 30, 1953) is a former Canadian long-distance runner who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best in the marathon on May 6, 1967, with a time of 3:15:23 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1][2][nb 1] Wilton, who started running when she was nine years old, was 13 when she set the mark; it was her first marathon and run on an unpaved Eastern Canadian Marathon Championships course.[1] [6][7] Her time broke the previous record, set in 1964, by more than four minutes.[7]

Wilton was coached by Thian "Sy" Mah.[1][6][7] Mah would complete his first marathon that day, then go on to set a Guinness World Records mark for the most lifetime marathons.[6][8] Invited by Mah, Kathrine Switzer also ran the marathon that day - only sixteen days after her historic run at the Boston Marathon.[6] Wilton reportedly told Switzer, who finished about an hour behind her, that she was interested in The Monkees more than running.[6][7]

Wilton stopped running at the age of 17, though she did compete at the World Cross-Country Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, when she was 15.[1][7][6]

As an adult, Wilton worked in the financial industry, has two children, and is married (now known as Maureen Mancuso).[6] Only when her daughter began competitive running did Wilton take up the sport again and share her running history with her.[7] Wilton and Switzer ran the Toronto GoodLife Half Marathon together in 2010, the reunion documented by John Chipman in a CBC Radio documentary entitled "Did my Mom ever Run?"[7][1]

A book about her life and achievement, Mighty Moe: The True Story of a Thirteen-Year-Old Women's Running Revolutionary, was released on October 15, 2019.[7]

Notes

  1. The Association of Road Racing Statisticians notes her official time as 3:15:22.8[3][4][5]

References

  1. Giddens, David (10 January 2017). "How a 13-year-old Canadian girl ran the world's fastest marathon". CBC Sports. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  2. "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. p. 653. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  3. "Marathon List for 1967". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  4. "World Marathon Rankings for 1967". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  5. "World Best Progressions- Road". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  6. Sutcliffe, Mark (November 2009). "The Pioneer". iRun. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  7. Loudin, Amanda (May 4, 2018). "The Marathon World Record Holder the World Forgot". Outside. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  8. "Books By Hal Higdon: Marathon: The Ultimate Training and Racing Guide". www.halhigdon.com. Archived from the original on 2000-08-16.


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