# Christine Benning
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{{short description|English middle-distance runner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Christine Benning
née Tranter
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = British (English)
| sport = [Athletics](/source/Sport_of_Athletics)
| event = middle-distance
| club = [Southampton & Eastleigh A.A.C.](/source/Southampton_%26_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](/source/Track_and_field_athletics)}}
{{Medal|Competition|[Commonwealth Games](/source/1978_Commonwealth_Games)}}
{{Medal|Silver|[1978 Edmonton](/source/Athletics_at_the_1978_Commonwealth_Games) | 1500 m}}
}}
'''Christine Mary Benning''' (née '''Tranter''', born 30 March 1955) is an English former [middle-distance runner](/source/middle-distance_runner) who competed mainly in the [1500 metres](/source/1500_metres) and the [3000 metres](/source/3000_metres). In the 1500 m, she represented Great Britain at the [1984 Olympic Games](/source/1984_Summer_Olympics) in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), finishing fifth in the final. She won a silver medal at the [1978 Commonwealth Games](/source/1978_Commonwealth_Games) in [Edmonton](/source/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](/source/Mile_run).
== Biography ==
Tranter was born in [Urmston](/source/Urmston), [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), and grew up in [Swinton](/source/Swinton%2C_Greater_Manchester), and attended Stand Grammar School.[''Manchester Evening News'' Friday 7 July 1972, page 19]
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](/source/1974_IAAF_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](/source/Sofia%2C_Bulgaria) in 4:09.7, the same year that she married Martin Benning and competed under her married name thereafter.[{{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 }}]
In 1978, Benning was 12th at the World Cross Country Championships in [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow). In the summer, she became the [British 3000 metres champion](/source/List_of_British_champions_in_3000_metres) after winning the British [WAAA Championships](/source/WAAA_Championships) title at the [1978 WAAA Championships](/source/1978_WAAA_Championships).[{{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 }}] she won the [AAA Championships](/source/AAA_Championships) 3000 m title in 8:52.33.[{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/|title=British Athletics Championships|publisher=}}] Then at the [Commonwealth Games](/source/Athletics_at_the_1978_Commonwealth_Games) in [Edmonton](/source/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](/source/Sheila_Carey)'s seven-year-old UK record in the 1500 metres, running 4:01.53 in [Zurich](/source/Zurich). The record would stand for five years. She also became the [British 800 champion](/source/List_of_British_champions_in_800_metres) at the [1979 WAAA Championships](/source/1979_WAAA_Championships).[{{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}}][{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=13 March 2025 }}]
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](/source/1983_World_Championships_in_Athletics) in [Helsinki](/source/Helsinki), she reached the 3000 metres final, finishing thirteenth in 8:58.01.[{{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=}}]
Benning achieved her highest placement at the [World Cross Country Championships](/source/1984_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships) in 1984, finishing sixth in [New Jersey](/source/New_Jersey). Then in the summer, she added the AAAs 1500 m title to her previous wins at 800 m and 3000 m.[{{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}}] At the [1984 Los Angeles Olympics](/source/Athletics_at_the_1984_Summer_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](/source/Athletics_at_the_1986_Commonwealth_Games) in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh). At the [1987 IAAF World Cross Country Championships](/source/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](/source/UK_Athletics_Championships) 1500 m title. Then at the [World Championships](/source/1987_World_Championships_in_Athletics) in [Rome](/source/Rome) in September, she reached the 3000 m final for the second time, finishing 12th in 8:57.92.[http://www.todor66.com/athletics/women/1987/World_3000m.html{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}]
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).[{{cite web|url=http://www.powerof10.info/rankings/|title=Rankings|publisher=}}]
==National titles==
*[AAAs National Champion](/source/AAA_Championships) - 800 metres (1979)
*AAAs National Champion - 1500 metres (1984)
*AAAs National Champion - 3000 metres (1978, 1986)
*[UK National Champion](/source/UK_Athletics_Championships) - 1500 metres (1987)
==International competitions==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
!colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{ENG}}
|-
|1974
|[World Cross Country Championships](/source/1974_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[Monza](/source/Monza), [Italy](/source/Italy)
|15th
|
|
|-
|1975
|[World Cross Country Championships](/source/1975_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[Rabat, Morocco](/source/Rabat%2C_Morocco)
|18th
|
|
|-
|1977
|[World Student Games (Universiade)](/source/Athletics_at_the_1977_Summer_Universiade)
|[Sofia, Bulgaria](/source/Sofia%2C_Bulgaria)
|5th
|1500 m
|4:09.7
|-
|rowspan=2|1978
|[World Cross Country Championships](/source/1978_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[Glasgow, Scotland](/source/Glasgow%2C_Scotland)
|12th
|
|
|-
|[Commonwealth Games](/source/Athletics_at_the_1978_Commonwealth_Games)
|[Edmonton, Canada](/source/Edmonton%2C_Canada)
|bgcolor="silver"| 2nd
|1500 m
|4:07.53
|-
|1981
|[World Cross Cross Country Championships](/source/1981_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[Madrid, Spain](/source/Madrid%2C_Spain)
|14th
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1983
|[World Cross Country Championships](/source/1983_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[Gateshead](/source/Gateshead), [England](/source/England)
|18th
|
|
|-
|[World Championships](/source/1983_World_Championships_in_Athletics)
|[Helsinki, Finland](/source/Helsinki%2C_Finland)
|13th
|3000 m
|8:58.01
|-
|rowspan=2|1984
|[World Cross Country Championships](/source/1984_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[East Rutherford](/source/East_Rutherford), [United States](/source/United_States)
|6th
|
|
|-
|[Olympic Games](/source/Athletics_at_the_1984_Summer_Olympics)
|[Los Angeles, United States](/source/Los_Angeles%2C_United_States)
|5th
|1500 m
|4:04.70
|-
|1986
|[Commonwealth Games](/source/Athletics_at_the_1986_Commonwealth_Games)
|[Edinburgh, Scotland](/source/Edinburgh%2C_Scotland)
|4th
|3000 m
|9:03.85
|-
|rowspan=2|1987
|[World Cross Country Championships](/source/1987_IAAF_World_Cross_Country_Championships)
|[Warsaw, Poland](/source/Warsaw%2C_Poland)
|20th
|
|
|-
|[World Championships](/source/1987_World_Championships_in_Athletics)
|[Rome, Italy](/source/Rome%2C_Italy)
|12th
|3000 m
|8:57.92
|}
'''Note:''' At the World Cross Country Championships, representing England, Benning won three team medals, gold in 1974, bronze in 1978 and
silver in 1984.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{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
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Christine Benning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Benning) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Benning?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.