1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,840
[MUSIC PLAYING]

2
00:00:06,945 --> 00:00:08,575
JOAN BENOIT: There
are not many runners

3
00:00:08,570 --> 00:00:11,360
who have enjoyed six
decades of running.

4
00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:16,550
And I've been truly fortunate
to run for so many years

5
00:00:16,550 --> 00:00:20,600
and still remain as passionate
as I was when I discovered

6
00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,900
the sport as a teenager.

7
00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:28,910
Many years ago, 30 plus
years ago, as a Nike athlete,

8
00:00:28,910 --> 00:00:33,740
Nike wanted to use me
in a campaign entitled

9
00:00:33,740 --> 00:00:35,330
There is No Finish Line.

10
00:00:35,330 --> 00:00:39,170
I was a new mother of
two young children,

11
00:00:39,170 --> 00:00:42,410
and I still had aspirations
and goals in the sport.

12
00:00:42,410 --> 00:00:47,270
And so I agreed to go out
on a country road in Maine

13
00:00:47,270 --> 00:00:48,650
to shoot this ad.

14
00:00:48,650 --> 00:00:51,470
And a couple of
years passed before I

15
00:00:51,470 --> 00:00:56,210
realized what that adage
meant, and I sort of

16
00:00:56,210 --> 00:00:58,070
discovered it on my own.

17
00:00:58,070 --> 00:01:01,930
Every time I crossed
a finish line,

18
00:01:01,930 --> 00:01:05,020
I was able to set a
new goal for myself.

19
00:01:05,019 --> 00:01:08,589
Regardless of the distance,
of the race, where that finish

20
00:01:08,590 --> 00:01:15,390
line was, there was always
another goal I set for myself,

21
00:01:15,390 --> 00:01:19,530
or another purpose
to run another race,

22
00:01:19,530 --> 00:01:24,090
or another benchmark
to hit in my career,

23
00:01:24,090 --> 00:01:27,750
and that has kept me
going all these years.

24
00:01:27,750 --> 00:01:30,490
[MUSIC PLAYING]

25
00:01:32,310 --> 00:01:35,820
One of the races I
spectate is the race

26
00:01:35,820 --> 00:01:38,580
I founded in my hometown
of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

27
00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:41,280
And that was my
opportunity to give back

28
00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,550
to a sport and a community
that had given so much to me,

29
00:01:44,550 --> 00:01:47,320
and I believe in
paying it forward.

30
00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:51,690
And I love watching the elite
athletes cross the finish line,

31
00:01:51,690 --> 00:01:55,290
and oftentimes, it's a really
close and exciting race.

32
00:01:55,290 --> 00:01:59,730
And then you see all
the recreational runners

33
00:01:59,730 --> 00:02:03,750
come across, and then
you see the runners

34
00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:07,980
who are just trying to
cover the 10K distance.

35
00:02:07,980 --> 00:02:11,280
And a lot of these people
came off the sidelines

36
00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,910
because they were inspired
by watching earlier races

37
00:02:14,910 --> 00:02:19,260
and they want to test themselves
by going the distance.

38
00:02:19,260 --> 00:02:24,690
And you see the faces of these
people cross the finish line,

39
00:02:24,690 --> 00:02:28,740
and oftentimes, they break out
in tears because they never

40
00:02:28,740 --> 00:02:31,410
thought they could do it.

41
00:02:31,410 --> 00:02:33,040
And they do it.

42
00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,130
And they surprise themselves,
and they feel good

43
00:02:36,130 --> 00:02:40,580
about themselves, and it gives
them reasons to celebrate,

44
00:02:40,580 --> 00:02:44,320
and it gives them reason
to continue in the sport.

45
00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,280
And I think that's
why running is

46
00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,390
such a unique,
all-inclusive sport.

47
00:02:51,390 --> 00:02:54,780
And I think every runner
who runs in a race

48
00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:58,770
has a story of inspiration
to share with other runners.

49
00:02:58,770 --> 00:03:03,540
And I think this is really
seen in marathons, when people

50
00:03:03,540 --> 00:03:06,450
are packed in and
running side by side

51
00:03:06,450 --> 00:03:10,300
for extended periods of time.

52
00:03:10,300 --> 00:03:13,920
So for me, there's nothing
more inspiring to hear

53
00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:18,690
some of these heart-wrenching,
gut-wrenching stories

54
00:03:18,690 --> 00:03:23,160
of runners who have
overcome challenges,

55
00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:27,960
or obstacles, or illnesses, or
events that have brought them

56
00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:29,430
into the sport of running.

57
00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,850
I still have goals in
the sport of running.

58
00:03:35,850 --> 00:03:40,260
I'm dealing with probably
the biggest injury

59
00:03:40,260 --> 00:03:43,970
that's ever confronted me.

60
00:03:43,970 --> 00:03:45,320
I'm trying to be patient.

61
00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,450
I'm trying to
practice the virtues

62
00:03:47,450 --> 00:03:49,790
that I share with others.

63
00:03:49,790 --> 00:03:53,670
And I will forever be
involved in the sport

64
00:03:53,670 --> 00:03:56,340
because it's been such
a big part of my life.

65
00:03:56,340 --> 00:03:58,910
And if I can impart
wisdom, and if I

66
00:03:58,910 --> 00:04:02,030
can impart the joy of
running, and if I can impart

67
00:04:02,030 --> 00:04:05,360
the goals that I still
have, which are still

68
00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:10,430
to run another marathon
in a fairly fast manner,

69
00:04:10,430 --> 00:04:13,490
and to now have an
opportunity someday

70
00:04:13,490 --> 00:04:16,010
to run with a daughter
and a granddaughter

71
00:04:16,010 --> 00:04:19,680
and share the joy of running
with three generations,

72
00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,070
these are the things
that keep me going.

73
00:04:22,070 --> 00:04:23,180
Never say never.

74
00:04:23,180 --> 00:04:26,870
And it may be that I run
another really fast marathon.

75
00:04:26,870 --> 00:04:30,830
It may be that I resign
myself to running 5Ks and 10Ks

76
00:04:30,830 --> 00:04:34,070
so I can stay in the
sport for more years.

77
00:04:34,070 --> 00:04:36,860
You know, the story still
out there to be told,

78
00:04:36,860 --> 00:04:41,810
but it's still formulating
in my mind, and in my body,

79
00:04:41,810 --> 00:04:44,000
and in my spirit.

80
00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,440
You have to run your own race.

81
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,050
You can't run
anybody else's race.

82
00:04:48,050 --> 00:04:50,420
It doesn't matter what
somebody else is doing.

83
00:04:50,420 --> 00:04:52,220
You have to focus
on what you're doing

84
00:04:52,220 --> 00:04:54,110
and how you feel about yourself.

85
00:04:54,110 --> 00:04:56,840
And as you develop
that improved fitness

86
00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,200
level or that positive
self-esteem, whatever

87
00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:01,820
it is you're
developing, it really

88
00:05:01,820 --> 00:05:07,260
has to be developed on your
own without comparison.

89
00:05:07,260 --> 00:05:11,720
So now, you have crossed the
finish line of my MasterClass.

90
00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:16,070
My hope is now to go out and
cheer you across many finish

91
00:05:16,070 --> 00:05:17,360
lines to come.

92
00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,110
And I only hope that many of you
find the same amount, or even

93
00:05:21,110 --> 00:05:25,160
a percentage of the amount
of enjoyment and passion

94
00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,280
and reward that I have
found in the sport.

95
00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:31,310
And rewards look
different for everybody.

96
00:05:31,310 --> 00:05:35,210
And may you find your
reward, and long may you run.

97
00:05:35,210 --> 00:05:38,260
[MUSIC PLAYING]