Kim Jones
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1958-05-02) May 2, 1958 (age 65)
Sonoma, California
Websiteanaerobic.net
Sport
CountryUSA
SportRoad Racing
EventMarathon
Coached byCoached by Benji Durden, US Olympian (1980, Marathon)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)10 K: 32:23 (1989)

Half Marathon: 1:11:34 (1988)
30 K: 1:47:41 (1986)

Marathon: 2:26:40 (1991)

Kim Jones (born May 2, 1958) is a retired American marathoner and road runner. Author of the autobiography, Dandelion Growing Wild.

Early life and education

Kim Jones was born on May 2, 1958, in Sonoma, California.[1] She had a successful high school running career, winning states titles in the 400 meters, 800 meters, and mile.[1][2]

Distance running career

Jones became a marathoner after seeing Joan Samuelson's victory in the first women's Olympic marathon.[1] She ran her first marathon in 1984, finishing with a time of 2:48:48.[2] She soon began working with coach Benji Durden, himself an elite marathoner, and posted a second-place finish at the 1985 Twin Cities Marathon, with a time of 2:35:59.[1][3] Jones competed in the marathon at the 1987 World Championships, but she did not finish after hurting her ankle.[1][4] In 1988, she finished 5th in the Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:32:16.[5] At the 1991 Berlin Marathon, she ran her lifetime best of 2:26:40 while finishing second.[1] Her time in Berlin made Jones the third-fastest woman marathoner for 1991.[6]

Given her performances in 1991, Jones was among the favorites to qualify for the 1992 US Olympic team and, perhaps, even compete for a medal at the Olympics.[1][2][7] Jones injured her ankle, however, only weeks before the Olympic Marathon Trials, and despite continuing her training, she earned a "Did not finish" result in the race.[1][2][8] Later that year, at the New York City Marathon, Jones was again unable to complete the race, this time dropping out after 17 miles due to breathing problems.[1][9] Following the marathon, she suffered from bronchitis and was bedridden for a month while recovering from her illness.[9][10]

She competed in the World Championships marathon again at the 1993 meet.[11] Because of a slow pace early in the race, Jones led the pack from the 5K mark through the first thirty kilometers.[12] At this point, she began to fall back, explaining later that she "got real mad" and "wasted energy" after contact with another runner.[12] She finished the race in 8th place with a time of 2:36:33.[11] Two years later, she again competed at the World Championships in the marathon, this time finishing 16th with a time of 2:37:06.[13] In February 1996, she tried for the third time to qualify for the Olympics in the marathon, but she failed to complete the race due to illness.[14][15] Then, in June, she ran the 5000 meters at the Olympic Trials, a distance she had not previously run competitively.[16] She told Runner's World that because her "breathing problems don't usually start for 15 minutes or so," she would be able to complete the race before her asthma began bothering her.[16] At the Trials, she finished 7th with a time of 15:53.58.[17]

Marathon performances

Year Marathon Time Place
1984 Honolulu Marathon 2:48:48 5th
1985 Twin Cities Marathon 2:35:58 2nd
1986 Twin Cities Marathon 2:32:31 1st
1987 Twin Cities Marathon 2:35:42 2nd
1988 Pittsburgh Marathon 2:32:15 5th
1988 Chicago Marathon 2:32:03 5th
1989 Houston Marathon 2:32:32 2nd
1989 Boston Marathon 2:29:34 3rd
1989 Twin Cities Marathon 2:31:42 1st
1989 New York Marathon 2:27:54 2nd
1990 Boston Marathon 2:31:01 5th
1990 New York Marathon 2:30:50 2nd
1991 Boston Marathon 2:26:40 2nd
1991 Berlin Marathon 2:27:50 2nd
1992 Hokkaido Marathon 2:35:46 3rd
1993 Boston Marathon 2:30:00 2nd
1993 1993 World Championships in Athletics 2:36:33 8th
1994 Boston Marathon 2:31:48 8th
1995 London Marathon 2:31:35 6th
1995 1995 World Championships in Athletics short course 14th
1995 Chicago Marathon 2:31:24 2nd
1996 New York Marathon 2:34:46 4th
1997 Boston Marathon 2:32:52 9th
1997 New York Marathon 2:32:00 6th
1998 Houston Marathon 2:35:44 2nd
1998 Chicago Marathon 2:43:37 16th
2001 New York Marathon 2:51:21 36th

Fastest marathon performances

Year Marathon Time Place
1991 Boston Marathon 02:26:40 (2nd) 3rd fastest U.S. marathon performer
1991 Berlin Marathon 02:27:50 AM (2nd)
1989 New York City Marathon 02:27:54 AM (2nd)
1989 Boston Marathon 02:29:34 AM (3rd)
1993 Boston Marathon 02:30:00 AM (2nd)

Post-competitive career

Jones raised her two daughters in Spokane, Washington, and currently resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her husband Jon Sinclair. Since retiring from competition in 1998, she has been a coach with Anaerobic Management, an on-line coaching service for distance runners, as well as a speaker at special events, road races and expos.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bloom, Marc (2001). Run with the Champions. Rodale, Inc. pp. 195–198. ISBN 1-57954-290-5.
  2. ^ a b c d Dick Patrick (January 21, 1992). "Runner refuses to let pain interfere". USA Today.
  3. ^ "1985 Results Book" (PDF). Twin Cities Marathon. Retrieved 23 December 2010.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Women's Marathon Results - 1987 World Championships". IAAF. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  5. ^ "1988 Olympic Team Trials Results". Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  6. ^ "World Marathon Rankings for 1991". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  7. ^ Anita Cechowski (December 6, 1991). "Top U.s. Runner Gets In Stride In Orlando Race". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  8. ^ "1992 Olympic Team Trials Results". Archived from the original on 18 November 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  9. ^ a b Dick Patrick (April 14, 1993). "Putting 1992 behind them: Weidenbach, Jones hit road to running recovery". USA Today.
  10. ^ Filip Bondy (April 20, 1993). "Boston Marathon; A Healthier Jones Is Happy as Runner-Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Women's Marathon Results - 1993 World Championships". IAAF. Archived from the original on 26 July 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  12. ^ a b Post, Marty (1993). "The women's World Championships marathon turned out to be a battle of concentration". Runner's World. 28 (11). Rodale, Inc.: 91. ISSN 0897-1706.
  13. ^ "Women's Marathon Results - 1995 World Championships". IAAF. Archived from the original on 8 August 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  14. ^ "1996 Olympic Team Trials Results". Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  15. ^ Luke Cyphers (November 4, 1996). "Jones keeps U.S. up: Kim is in as a first at fourth". Daily News. Retrieved 23 December 2010.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ a b Henderson, Joe (1996). Best Runs. Human Kinetics. pp. 210–211. ISBN 978-0-88011-896-5.
  17. ^ "History of the Olympic Trials" (PDF). USA Track & Field. pp. 259–260. Retrieved 3 January 2011.

External links

USA Championship winners in the women's 10K run
US National Championship winners in Women's Marathon
Twin Cities Marathon – women's winners
Authority control databases
Categories