Naples' Jeanie Rice continues to break marathon records, this time in Chicago
Jeanie Rice has become a dominant distance runner in the women's masters age divisions and the part-time Naples resident once again showed she’s the measuring stick for all others at the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8.
Rice broke the women's masters world record in the marathon, winning the 75-79 age group in 3:34:32. But that's not all. She also set American records for the 10K (49:14) and the half marathon (1:43:09) during the race and won the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group Championship, which took place within the Chicago race.
The Abbott World Majors is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world, including Chicago and by winning there she qualified for the 2024 age group world championships, which will take place within the 2024 Sydney Marathon on Sept. 15, 2024
"I'm competitive, and I enjoy it,” Rice said. “I'm not chasing someone else's record, but my own time because I know I can do it."
Rice's running journey started in 1983 when she returned from a vacation in her hometown of Seoul, Korea. Wanting to shed some extra pounds and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Rice took up running. Starting with simple jogs around the block, she quickly became hooked and set her sights on completing her first marathon. In 1983, Rice finished the Cleveland Marathon in a time of 3:45.
After just six months of running, Rice achieved her first Boston Marathon qualification with an impressive time of 3:16 at the Columbus Marathon. Encouraged by this accomplishment, Rice continued to push herself and self-coached along the way.
In 2018, Rice made her mark in the running community by shattering the age group world record at the Chicago Marathon, running 3:27:50 at the age of 70. The following year, she improved on her own record by 3 minutes at the BMW BERLIN marathon with a time of 3:24:38.
This year, just three days after her 75th birthday, Rice set the women's 75-plus age group world record with her 3:33:15 finish at the Boston Marathon on April 17. Prior to this, she also won the women's 70-plus age category at the Tokyo Marathon, completing it in 3:31:22.
Rice said that she enjoys the competitive nature of the sport and takes pride in challenging her own records. She holds the age group record in five out of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, including Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. The only major where she hasn't set a record is London, but she plans to make another attempt on April 21, 2024.
As Rice rests and recovers from her recent marathon, she said she plans to run in a Thanksgiving 5K and the Naples Half Marathon in January.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Chicago Marathon latest triumph for Naples masters runner Jeanie Rice
