{{Short description|British long-distance runner (born 1937)}} {{About|the athlete Joyce Smith|the member of the Vernons Girls|The Vernons Girls}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Use British English|date=May 2015}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Joyce Smith<br /><small>{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}}}</small> | image = | imagesize = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels --> | caption = | nationality = British (English) | sport = Athletics | event = 1500 metres<br />3000 metres<br />marathon | club = Barnet and District AC | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|10|26|df=y}} | birth_place = Stoke Newington, England | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{convert|1.69|m|ftin}} | weight = {{convert|52|kg|lb}} | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's athletics}} {{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}} {{MedalCompetition|European Championships}} {{MedalBronze|1974 Rome|3000 m}} }} '''Joyce Esther Smith''' {{small|MBE}} (née '''Byatt''', born 26 October 1937)<ref>{{cite web| title = Joyce Smith| work = Athletes| publisher = Sports Reference LLC| url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sm/joyce-smith-1.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041339/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sm/joyce-smith-1.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 18 April 2020| access-date =17 November 2008 }}</ref> is a British former long-distance runner. She broke the world record in the 3000 metres in 1971 and is a three-time medallist at the International/World Cross Country Championships, including winning in 1972. She went on to twice win the London Marathon, becoming the first British woman in history to run under 2:30 when winning in 1981 with 2:29:57, before further improving the British record to 2:29:43 when winning in 1982. She also competed in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Munich Olympics and finished 11th in the marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, aged 46.

== Biography == Smith was born in Stoke Newington, London, and began running competitively in the 1950s, at which time the longest distance for women in international competitions was 800 metres. She won the English National Crosscountry Championship (AAA) in 1959 and 1960.<ref name=Natcross>{{cite web| title = National Crosscountry Champions (AAA) for England| publisher = Association of Road Racing Statisticians| date = 13 March 2007| url = https://www.arrs.run/NC_XCENG.htm | access-date =17 November 2008 }}</ref>

Smith became the national 1 mile champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1965 WAAA Championships.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19650704/689/0024 |title=Results |work=Sunday Express |date=4 July 1965 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription| access-date=1 March 2025 }}</ref><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=1 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=1 March 2025 }}</ref> and during that year, she told ''Athletics Weekly'' that she intended to continue competing "for two more years at the most" and stopped running competitively in 1968.<ref name=Firstlady>{{cite web|last=Turnbull |first=Simon |title=London Marathon: First lady is still the one and only |work=The Independent |date=14 April 2002 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020414/ai_n12615192 |access-date=17 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422174851/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020414/ai_n12615192/ |archive-date=22 April 2009 }}</ref>

Smith returned to competitive running in 1969, and broke the world record for the 3000 metres distance at the 1971 WAAA Championships.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001723/19710718/021/0021 |title=Women's AAA Results |work=Sunday Sun (Newcastle) |date=18 July 1971 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=6 March 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arrs.run/RecProg/RP_wwT.htm|title=World Record Progressions - Track}}</ref> She won the bronze medal in 1971, the gold medal in 1972 and the silver medal in 1973 in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arrs.run/XC_Medal.htm|title=Untitled}}</ref> She reached the semi-final of the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympic Games. In 1973, she won her third National Crosscountry Championship<ref name=Natcross/> She won the bronze medal in 3000 m at the European Athletics Championships in 1974.

In 1978, she retired from track running after setting a new world record for 3000 m in the age group W40 of 9:11.2 minutes, which was broken 27 years later,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arrs.run/VR1_O3K.htm |access-date=17 November 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and ran her first marathon in 1979, beating the previous British record held by Rosemary Cox by nine minutes and seventeen seconds in a time of 2:41:37.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arrs.run/RecProg/RP_GBRR.htm|title = Untitled}}</ref>

In 1979, she won the ''Avon International Marathon'' in Waldniel and the British national title at Sandbach.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000525/19790618/011/0011 |title=Joyce shatters record |work=Staffordshire Sentinel |date=18 June 1979 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 March 2025 }}</ref> In 1979 and 1980, she won the first two editions of the Tokyo International Women's Marathon. In 1980, she set a new British 25 kilometre record of 1:28:18 in Bruges, which was also the new W40 world record which was broken 24 years later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arrs.run/VR1_R25K.htm |access-date=17 November 2008 }}{{dead link|date=March 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In 1981, she won the first London Marathon in 2:29:57, becoming the first British woman and the first woman over 40 to complete the distance in less than two and a half hours. A year later, she won the event in 2:29:43, again setting a new British record, and becoming the oldest woman to win the race at 44 years, 195 days, a record which has not yet been broken.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tomescu-Dita's Run for the Ages |work=News and Notes: Women's Olympic Marathon |publisher=World Marathon Majors |url=http://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/US/news/173/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828142421/http://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/US/news/173/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 August 2008 |access-date=17 November 2008 }}</ref>

In the first World Athletics Championships in 1983 in Helsinki, she finished ninth in the marathon. In 1984, she became the oldest female Olympic athlete by running in the first women's Olympic marathon, and finished eleventh at the age of 46.

She retired from competitive running in 1986 after setting a new W45 record for the ten-mile distance of 55:33.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arrs.run/VR2_R10M.htm |access-date=17 November 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In the 1984 New Year Honours, Smith was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to athletics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sbharriers.co.uk/history.php |title=Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Athletics Club History |access-date=17 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121054358/http://www.sbharriers.co.uk/history.php |archive-date=21 November 2008 }}</ref><ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=49583 |date=30 December 1983 |pages=16 |supp=y |nolink=yes}}</ref> She and her husband, Bryan, are on the board of trustees of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/downloads/The%20london%20marathon%20structure.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=17 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195105/http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/site/downloads/The%20london%20marathon%20structure.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> Bryan is a marathon coach who also organises the Mini London Marathon.<ref>{{cite web| title = Breakout Newsletter| publisher = Royal Holloway University of London| date = January 2008| url = http://www.conferences.rhul.ac.uk/pdf/Breakout_Mag_jan08.pdf| access-date =17 November 2008 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

==Achievements== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} and {{ENG}} |- |1971 |International Cross Country Championships |San Sebastián, Spain |bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |4.5&nbsp;km |11:24 |- |rowspan=2|1972 |International Cross Country Championships |Cambridge, United Kingdom |bgcolor=gold|1st |4.5&nbsp;km |16:11 |- |Olympic Games |Munich, Germany |12th (sf) |1500 m |4:09.4 |- |1973 |World Cross Country Championships |Waregem, Belgium |bgcolor=silver|2nd |4&nbsp;km |13:58 |- |rowspan=2|1974 |World Cross Country Championships |Monza, Italy |7th |4&nbsp;km |13:04 |- |European Championships |Rome, Italy |bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |3000 m |8:57.39 |- |1978 |World Cross Country Championships |Glasgow, United Kingdom |9th |4.7&nbsp;km |17:23 |- |rowspan=2|1979 |Avon International Women's Marathon |Waldniel, Germany |bgcolor=gold|1st |Marathon |2:36:27 |- |Tokyo Marathon |Tokyo, Japan |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:37:48 |- |rowspan=2|1980 |Avon International Women's Marathon |London, United Kingdom |7th |Marathon |2:41:22 |- |Tokyo Marathon |Tokyo, Japan |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:30:27 |- |1981 |London Marathon |London, United Kingdom |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:29:57 |- |rowspan=2|1982 |Osaka International Ladies Marathon |Osaka, Japan |5th |Marathon |2:35:34 |- |London Marathon |London, United Kingdom |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Marathon |2:29:43 |- |rowspan=2|1983 |Osaka International Ladies Marathon |Osaka, Japan |8th |Marathon |2:40:01 |- |World Championships |Helsinki, Finland |9th |Marathon |2:34:27 |- |rowspan=2|1984 |Nagoya International Women's Marathon |Nagoya, Japan |6th |Marathon |2:38:55 |- |Olympic Games |Los Angeles, United States |11th |Marathon |2:32:48 |- |1985 |Osaka International Ladies Marathon |Osaka, Japan |7th |Marathon |2:38:09 |- |1986 |Osaka International Ladies Marathon |Osaka, Japan |14th |Marathon |2:42:36 |- !colspan=6|<small>''' (sf) Indicates overall position in semifinal round'''</small> |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{World Athletics}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090422174851/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020414/ai_n12615192/ ''London Marathon: First lady is still the one and only''], Article by Simon Turnbull in ''The Independent'', 14. April 2002

{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box|before= Joan Samuelson|title=Women's Fastest Marathon Race |years=1980|after= Allison Roe}} {{s-end}}

{{Footer International Cross Country Champions Women}} {{Footer London Marathon Champions Women}} {{Footer Tokyo International Marathon Champions Women}} {{Footer WBYP 3000m Women}} {{Footer WBYP Marathon Women}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joyce}} Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:People from Stoke Newington Category:Athletes from the London Borough of Hackney Category:English women marathon runners Category:British women marathon runners Category:English women long-distance runners Category:British women long-distance runners Category:English women middle-distance runners Category:British women middle-distance runners Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:London Marathon women winners Category:British masters athletes Category:World record holders in masters athletics Category:European Athletics Championships medalists Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain Category:International Cross Country Championships winners Category:20th-century English sportswomen