On the 40th anniversary of first-ever women's Olympic marathon, Kelowna's Malindi Elmore will follow in the footsteps of those who came before her, while forging a new trail for the next generation of athletes.
This year, in honour of the monumental anniversary of the race, the women's marathon will be the final event of the Olympic Games, instead of the men's marathon.
At just four years old, Elmore watched American Joan Benoit Samuelson win the first-ever women's Olympic marathon in 1984.
Elmore was born in 1980, four years before women were allowed to run the marathon at the Olympics – at a time when some people still thought endurance events were dangerous or inappropriate for women.
The tiny future Olympian used to race her sister around the house, inspired by Samuelson's epic finish at the Los Angeles Games.
Forty years later, at 44 years old, Elmore will be the second oldest athlete – and one of many mothers – who will be going for gold in the marathon on August 10. She is the only Canadian in the women's race, after clinching the blistering Olympic Standard time of 2:26:50, with a new personal best of 2:23:30 at the Berlin Marathon.
By just continuing to run at an elite level, Elmore has shown the world that "dreams do not have an expiration date."
She first donned the maple leaf on the Olympic stage 20 years ago, while racing the 1500m at the Games in Athens. Four years later, Elmore did not make the Olympic team and committed to making the 2012 London Games. After coming short of her goal for the second Olympic cycle in a row, Elmore decided to retire from competitive running.
During her hiatus from athletics, Elmore and her husband had two children and she continued to work in the sport she loves – as a coach for the University of B.C. Okanagan Cross Country and Track team. During this time – between baseball practices with her sons, and varsity team practices – Elmore trained and raced in triathlon at an elite level.
It was not long before Elmore felt the pull to the roads and decided to ditch the swim cap and bike and focus on the marathon. After racing her first marathon in 2019, Elmore was hooked and set her sites on the 2020 Olympic Games. In 2020, she made her second Olympic team and she finished in the top 10 of the competitive field in Tokyo.
One of Elmore's sayings is; "There is no best before date."
She continues to achieve personal bests, and in doing so, is breaking down barriers of what people think athletes, and women, are capable of.
One of Elmore's goals is for all people to be able to participate sport, in whatever way is most enjoyable for them. In support of her goal to have more people in motion, Elmore raised $26,000 for KidSport BC, an organization that removes financial barriers for youth in sport, before she left for Paris.
Last year, KidSport BC funded activities for 7,742 kids across the province.
The event will be livestreamed for free on CBC Gem at 10:50 p.m. PDT.
The 42.2km network of roads of the Paris marathon is an iconic route in itself, as it follows the path of the Women’s March on Versailles, which is regarded as one of the most significant moments in the French Revolution. In 1789, thousands of women took to the streets of Paris to demand food and a better life for their families from the monarchy.
Elmore's two sons and husband are in Paris and are ready to cheer, eat pastries and get a sweaty celebratory finish-line hug from the three-time Olympian.
