On Aug. 5, 1984, a 27-year-old woman from Cape Elizabeth named Joan Benoit ran through the service tunnel into the packed L.A. Coliseum. Looking like a woman on a mission, she methodically strode around the Olympic oval en route to the finish line and a spot in the history books. After circling the track, during which, she later said, all she thought about was keeping upright and trying not to fall as tens of thousands of fans cheered her arrival, Benoit would be crowned the first Olympic women’s marathon winner. She had beaten the heavy favorite, Grete Waitz of Norway, who had bested Benoit in 10 of their last 11 contests.

Images of Benoit running alone through the hot streets of Los Angeles remain burned in many Americans’ minds and hearts. Clad in a silvery U.S.A. jersey with a white cap to deflect the summer heat, Benoit split from the bunch at Mile 3 and led until the finish. It was a great moment of pride for her, as well as the whole nation.

Later married, Joan Benoit Samuelson was no flash in the pan. In 1979, while attending Bowdoin College, she burst onto the scene with a win at the Boston Marathon, setting a women’s American and course record in the process. She was the winning woman in that race again in 1983 with a world record-setting time of 2:22:43, which would hold up for 11 years. She also was the first female finisher at the Chicago Marathon in 1985.

But her Olympic win is definitely the most remembered. The achievement is even more outstanding when considering Samuelson had injured her knee in March and underwent knee surgery just 17 days before the Olympics trials race. Three months later, she beat the world’s best in dominating fashion. While she went on to post an American record in the 1985 Chicago Marathon that would stand up until 2003, injuries plagued her from then on, unfortunately.

Fast forward 30 years, and “Joanie” is still a point of American pride, especially for us Mainers and those lucky to glimpse her running the roads around Freeport, where she lives now, or the thousands of runners and spectators who see her annually at the TD Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth.

The Beach to Beacon is Samuelson’s attempt to give back to the community of her native Cape Elizabeth, as well as the running community in general. The race has attracted elite runners each of its 17 years and has put Cape on the road-racing map. Thousands of runners come and compete in what’s known as Joanie’s race.

But Samuelson is not only an inspiration to runners, but also to anyone who is facing a difficult challenge. She persevered through injury to win several times in her career and never gave up. Her methodical pace on the L.A. marathon route is testament to how even the most difficult of goals can be accomplished step by step.

And, these 30 years later, we’ve watched as Samuelson has stayed the course, dedicated to her sport and community. Like some athletes, she could have taken the route of hanging up her running shoes and rested on her Olympic laurels, but she’s actually been burning up the record books as of late with age-category wins, as well. At the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2008, she set a new U.S. record for women 50 and older with a 2:49:08 marathon time. She set age-category records at the New York City Marathon in 2009 and the Chicago Marathon in 2010. In 2011, she placed first in her age group at the Boston Marathon. And, this past April, at almost 57 years of age, Samuelson ran a 2:52:10 at Boston.

Anyone who has run even a mile, let alone 26.2 of them, knows how hard it is. A wisp of woman, Samuelson proves that gritty determination, goal-setting and resolve can yield bounties year after year, no matter your age.

Along with the Beach to Beacon race, Samuelson has used her notoriety for other good things, such as raising money for nonprofits, coaching, motivational speaking and writing inspirational books.

So, we salute Samuelson on the 30th anniversary of her epic win at the L.A. Games, as well as her top-tier event in Cape Elizabeth that highlights all that Maine has to offer. She was first in Americans’ hearts back in 1984, and we’re proud she’s still a Maine ambassador, showing the grit and guts Mainers are known for and bringing good things to our corner of the country.

–John Balentine, managing editor