Benoit won the Chicago Marathon in 2:21:21, a U.S. women's marathon best that stood for 21 years.
On October 20, 1985, Joan Benoit won the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:21:21, establishing a U.S. women's marathon best that would remain unbeaten for 21 years, until Deena Kastor surpassed it in 2006.
This performance, coming just over a year after her historic Olympic gold medal, demonstrated that Benoit's 1984 triumph was no fluke but part of a sustained era of dominance in women's marathoning. Her ability to continue producing world-class times against a talented international field solidified her legacy as one of the greatest marathoners, male or female, of her generation.
The longevity of this American record — over two decades — is a testament to how far ahead of her era Benoit's training and racing were. It also highlights the relatively slow growth of depth in American women's marathoning in the years that followed, making her mark all the more remarkable in retrospect.
The Chicago Marathon result is frequently cited alongside her Olympic and Boston victories as one of the three pillars of her competitive legacy, and it remains a benchmark referenced whenever historians discuss the greatest American marathon performances by women.