{{short description|English middle-distance runner}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Christine Benning<br>née Tranter | image = | caption = | nationality = British (English) | sport = Athletics | event = middle-distance | club = Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C. | birth_date = 30 March 1955 | birth_place = Urmston, England | death_date = | death_place = | height =160 cm | weight =49 kg | pb = | medaltemplates= {{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}} {{MedalSport | Women's Athletics}} {{Medal|Competition|Commonwealth Games}} {{Medal|Silver|1978 Edmonton | 1500 m}} }}

'''Christine Mary Benning''' (née '''Tranter''', born 30 March 1955) is an English former middle-distance runner who competed mainly in the 1500 metres and the 3000 metres. In the 1500 m, she represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, finishing fifth in the final. She won a silver medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton. She also broke the UK record in 1979, with 4:01.53. As of 2022, she still ranks in the UK all-time top ten (outdoors) for the mile.

== Biography == Tranter was born in Urmston, Lancashire, and grew up in Swinton, and attended Stand Grammar School.<ref>''Manchester Evening News'' Friday 7 July 1972, page 19</ref>

In 1971, Tranter won the AAAs Under 17 800 metres title. In 1974, still a teenager, she was 15th at the World Cross Country Championships and won a gold medal in the team event. In 1975, she was 18th. She finished fifth in the 1500 m final at the 1977 World Student Games (Universiade) in Sofia in 4:09.7, the same year that she married Martin Benning and competed under her married name thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=259633072:4847&d=bmd_1740370513 |title=Marriages |website=Free BMD |access-date=13 March 2025 }}</ref>

In 1978, Benning was 12th at the World Cross Country Championships in Glasgow. In the summer, she became the British 3000 metres champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1978 WAAA Championships.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19780820/475/0026 |title=Teacher Chris Hands Out A Lesson |work=Sunday Express |date=20 August 1978 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 March 2025 }}</ref> she won the AAA Championships 3000 m title in 8:52.33.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/|title=British Athletics Championships|publisher=}}</ref> Then at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, she won a silver medal in the 1500 m final behind Mary Stewart, running 4:07.53; at the time she worked as a teacher in London. In 1979, she broke Sheila Carey's seven-year-old UK record in the 1500 metres, running 4:01.53 in Zurich. The record would stand for five years. She also became the British 800 champion at the 1979 WAAA Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=13 March 2025 }}</ref>

In the early 1980s, Benning achieved two more top twenty finishes at the World Cross Country Championships, with 14th in 1981 and 18th in 1983. At the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, she reached the 3000 metres final, finishing thirteenth in 8:58.01.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todor66.com/athletics/world/1983/Women_3000m.html|title=Women 3000m World Championship 1983 Helsinki (FIN) - Wednesday 10.08|first=Todor|last=Krastev|publisher=}}</ref>

Benning achieved her highest placement at the World Cross Country Championships in 1984, finishing sixth in New Jersey. Then in the summer, she added the AAAs 1500 m title to her previous wins at 800 m and 3000 m.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19840617/545/0031 |title=Plucky Win for Fatima |work=Sunday Express |date=17 June 1984 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 March 2025}}</ref> At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she reached the 1500 m final, finishing fifth in 4:04.70. She ended the 1984 season by running her best ever times in both the 3000 metres and the mile, with 8:44.46 in Zurich and 4:24.57 in London.

In 1986, Benning won the AAAs 3000 m title, going on to place fourth at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. At the 1987 IAAF World Cross Country Championships she finished 20th, her seventh top twenty finish in the event. In the summer, she won the UK Championships 1500 m title. Then at the World Championships in Rome in September, she reached the 3000 m final for the second time, finishing 12th in 8:57.92.<ref>http://www.todor66.com/athletics/women/1987/World_3000m.html{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Benning is the only woman to have won AAAs Senior National titles at 800 m, 1500 m and 3000 m. On the UK all-time lists, she ranks 15th in the 1500 m (4:01.53), 11th in the mile (4:24.57) (10th excluding indoor performances) and 18th in the 3000 m (8:44.46).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.powerof10.info/rankings/|title=Rankings|publisher=}}</ref>

==National titles== *AAAs National Champion - 800 metres (1979) *AAAs National Champion - 1500 metres (1984) *AAAs National Champion - 3000 metres (1978, 1986) *UK National Champion - 1500 metres (1987)

==International competitions== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} !colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{ENG}} |- |1974 |World Cross Country Championships |Monza, Italy |15th | | |- |1975 |World Cross Country Championships |Rabat, Morocco |18th | | |- |1977 |World Student Games (Universiade) |Sofia, Bulgaria |5th |1500 m |4:09.7 |- |rowspan=2|1978 |World Cross Country Championships |Glasgow, Scotland |12th | | |- |Commonwealth Games |Edmonton, Canada |bgcolor="silver"| 2nd |1500 m |4:07.53 |- |1981 |World Cross Cross Country Championships |Madrid, Spain |14th | | |- |rowspan=2|1983 |World Cross Country Championships |Gateshead, England |18th | | |- |World Championships |Helsinki, Finland |13th |3000 m |8:58.01 |- |rowspan=2|1984 |World Cross Country Championships |East Rutherford, United States |6th | | |- |Olympic Games |Los Angeles, United States |5th |1500 m |4:04.70 |- |1986 |Commonwealth Games |Edinburgh, Scotland |4th |3000 m |9:03.85 |- |rowspan=2|1987 |World Cross Country Championships |Warsaw, Poland |20th | | |- |World Championships |Rome, Italy |12th |3000 m |8:57.92 |} <small>'''Note:''' At the World Cross Country Championships, representing England, Benning won three team medals, gold in 1974, bronze in 1978 and<br /> silver in 1984.</small>

==References== {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Benning, Christine}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Swinton, Greater Manchester Category:Sportspeople from Urmston Category:English women middle-distance runners Category:British women middle-distance runners Category:English women cross country runners Category:British women cross country runners Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain Category:Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Category:20th-century English sportswomen Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics Category:Competitors at the 1975 Summer Universiade Category:Competitors at the 1977 Summer Universiade