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Geoff Smith (runner)

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Geoff Smith
Smith after the 1984 Boston Marathon
Personal information
NationalityBritish (English)
Born24 October 1953
Liverpool, England
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Eventlong-distance
ClubLiverpool Harriers

Geoffrey Smith (born 24 October 1953) is a British former long-distance runner who won the Boston Marathon in both 1984 and 1985 and competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Biography

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Smith was born in Liverpool[1] and was a member of the Liverpool Harriers.[2]

At the 1980 Olympics Games in Moscow, he represented Great Britain in the 10,000 metres.[2] He finished second behind Barry Smith in the 10,000 metres event at the 1981 AAA Championships.[3]

He ran a sub-four-minute mile in 1982, recording 3:55 minutes in Wales. In 1982 he won the world class Bermuda 10K on a very hilly course in a record time of 28:14, although many world class runners have attempted this race over the years since, none have been any closer than 54 seconds behind this record. He finished second behind Charlie Spedding at the 1983 AAA Championships.[4]

Smith's best time in the marathon was 2:09:08, when he finished second to Rod Dixon in the New York City Marathon in 1983, his first attempt at the marathon distance. Smith only lost by nine seconds. He won the 1984 Boston Marathon by over four minutes. He was the last person to win the Boston Marathon before the race organizers began giving out prize money to the winners.[5]

Smith worked as a firefighter for ten years in the United Kingdom, joining the profession straight out of high school. He later went back to study, enrolling at Providence College in Rhode Island at the age of 26 in 1980. He remained in the United States and began working as a middle school teacher and lives in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts as of 2004.[6] He ceased running the Boston Marathon after 1990 and stopped running completely in the early 1990s, having suffered hip problems since birth. He has had both hips replaced and has started running again in June 2013. He coaches local runners South of Boston.

Marathons

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1983 New York City Marathon New York, United States 2nd 2:09:08
1984 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 1st 2:10:34
Chicago Marathon Chicago, United States 5th 2:10:08
1985 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 1st 2:14:05
1987 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 3rd 2:12:42
1990 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 7th 2:13:38

International competitions

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Great Britain
1980 Olympic Games Moscow, Soviet Union 26th (q) 10,000 m 30:00.01
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States — Marathon DNF
1987 World Championships Rome, Italy — Marathon DNF

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Barlow, Eleanor (6 April 2013). Former Liverpool firefighter Geoff Smith among thousands caught up in Boston terror attacks. Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  2. ^ a b "Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  3. ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  4. ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  5. ^ "The Taunton Gazette - News and Sports - 04/18/2005 - Smith looks back on two Boston Marathon victories". Archived from the original on 3 May 2005. Retrieved 20 October 2006.
  6. ^ Cool Running :: 20 Years Later: An Interview with Two-Time Boston Marathon Winner Geoff Smith
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