Joan Benoit Samuelson runs 3:04 in Boston at age 61

Joanie, as she is loving known by the running community, is the woman who won the Boston Marathon as a 21-year-old Bowdoin College student four decades ago. Her time that year set a national and course record of 2:35:15. She went on to become a marathon world record holder and win the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon in Los Angeles in 1984. She told the Boston Athletics Association that her goal for April 15 was to run within 40 minutes of her time 40 years ago.

3:04 in the Boston marathon at age 61. That is BANANAS. https://t.co/Pg0G6kvS6v

— Malcolm Gladwell (@Gladwell) April 16, 2019

The runner smashed her goal, running only 28:45 minutes slower than her time in 1979 to finish in 3:04:00. As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out, “That is bananas.”

Boston Marathon legend Joan Benoit Samuelson finishes the Boston Marathon 40 years after her historic win. pic.twitter.com/vCrfvS0ttp

— WBZ | CBS Boston News (@wbz) April 15, 2019

RELATED: Joan Benoit Samuelson to run Boston 2019

Benoit Samuelson finished first in her age category and 253rd overall. The runner was competing in Boston to celebrate her win from 40 years ago. She ran in a backwards ball cap and a Bowdoin College singlet just like she did in 1979.

RELATED: VIDEO: Joan Benoit Samuelson after her gruelling Chicago Marathon

Samuelson ran the Chicago Marathon in October of 2018 where she was hoping to run sub-three hours but came up short on that goal, finishing in 3:12:13. On Monday in Boston the runner redeemed herself and spectators got to relive a huge moment in women’s running history.