Connie Gardner, from Akron Ohio, was a national champion twelve times at 50 miles, 100 kilometers, 100 miles, and 24 hours. She has finished at least 180 ultras, with nearly 100 wins, including three wins at the prestigious JFK 50 in Maryland. During her ultra career, she established 37 course or event records. She was a member of the U.S. National 100K and 24-Hour Teams for many years, competing in many World Championships. With a busy family life and children, she didn’t start running ultras until her late 30s, but dominated into her 50s. She was named the USA Track and Field (USATF) Ultrarunner of the Year in 2003 and 2012, and the USATF Masters Ultrarunner of the year in 2011.
In high school, Connie competed on the cross-country and track teams, winning all conference honors. She then attended The University of Massachusetts, competing on the rowing team. While a freshman at age 17, she ran her first marathon at the 1981 Columbus Marathon and finished in 4:11:00. After having two daughters and running marathons for 20 years, with times close to three hours, she ran her first ultra at the age of 36, in 2000, at Groundhog Fall 50K in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. She finished in third place with 5:28:32. Next, she wanted to try a 50-miler and found one in Kentucky on trails. She won in 8:53:04. In 2001, she won all the ultras that she finished, including her first 100-miler, the Mohican Trail 100, in Ohio, in 19:36:15. In the years to come, she would win the Mohican Trail 100 six times.
In 2002, Connie next tried to run on the road at the Edmund Fitzgerald 100K, held near Duluth, Minnesota. She won her first national championship in 8:30:32 and earned a place on the U.S. National 100K Team. During the next month, she won the prestigious JFK 50, in Maryland, in 7:11:47. It would be the first of her three wins at JFK 50.
In 2003, Connie added a 100-mile national championship to her 100K championship, by winning the Olander Park 100, setting another 100-mile course record of 16:22:15. It was the fastest 100 miles run by a woman in the U.S. during 2003. That earned the USATF’s 2003 female ultrarunner of the year award. In 2004, she set her lifetime 100-mile personal best, winning at Olander Park 100 again, repeating as national 100-mile champ, with 15:48:04.
In 2006, Connie started to go beyond 100 miles by competing in the 24-hour race. Her first 24-hour race attempt was at the 2006 Ultracentric 24-Hour Run. She finished in third place with an impressive 132.7 miles. That earned her a spot on the U.S. National 24-Hour Team. She set her sights on breaking the long-standing 24-hour road record of 145.288 miles and missed it in 2006 by only 49 yards because of miscommunication. Over the next five years, she tried to break the record eight times. At the 2011 North Coast 24-hour race in Cleveland, Ohio, she had another near miss, reaching 144.7 miles. At age 48, she finally got the American record at the 2012 24-hour world championships at Katowice, Poland, reaching 149.368 miles.
Connie’s winning ways continued in the other ultra-distances with at least 36 wins from 2006 to 2012. Of note, she established new course records at Umstead 100, Laurel Highlands 70, and Burning River 100. She also established event records at Ultracentric 24 Hour and North Coast 24 Hour. For years, she expressed a desire to run the very hot Badwater 134 in Death Valley. She got her chance in 2010 and finished in second place, with 30:35:08. In 2015 she finished Spartathlon in Greece, in 15th place, with 35:10:03.
Entering her 50s, Connie did not ease back on the number of ultras she ran, still averaging about one a month and the wins continued to pile up and younger runners tried fruitlessly to keep up with her. Her last win came in 2019. During that year, she experienced for the first time running in a six-day race, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she won with 420.2 miles. During the pandemic in 2020, she managed to run 100 miles in 17:50:08, at the age of 56, establishing an American W55 age group record for 100 miles.
For at least two decades, Connie gave back to the sport, coaching cross-country at schools, and coaching other ultrarunners. Connie said, “Running can help you balance your life. It shouldn’t be all about running. It is a nice crutch. It has been a very, very great crutch for me at times.” A friend said, “Connie Gardner is clearly able to run further than most people can. But that is not what is entirely so inspiring about her. Its that she believes that anyone can do this if they put their mind to it.” As of 2024, Connie has finished at least 80 races of 100 miles or more, and more than 100 marathons.
Read/Listen/Watch a more detailed Ultrarunning History Podcast episode featuring Connie Gardner: https://ultrarunninghistory.com/connie-gardner/