Marathons at the Paralympics

Last updated August 17, 2023

Marathon events have been held at the Summer Paralympic Games , for both men and women, since the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville and New York City.^[1]^[2] They are held as part of the Paralympic athletics programme.

Visually impaired athletes compete in categories T11, T12 and T13, based on their level of disability. Totally blind athletes compete in T11 events, and are permitted to run with a sighted guide. (In 1996 only, the categories were named T10, T11 and T12, and blind athletes were thus categorised "T10".) The marathon for visually impaired athletes is held only for men, and in 2008, no marathon was held in categories T11 or T13, leaving the men's T12 marathon as the sole event for visually impaired athletes. The same was true in 2012.
Athletes with lower limb amputations, competing with prosthetics, run in categories T42 to T44, depending on their level of disability. In the marathon, athletes in these categories were able to compete only in 1996, when they were grouped together in a single event. The event was held for men only.
Athletes with upper limb amputations compete in category T46. The marathon in this category exists only for men. In 1996, they ran mixed with lower limb amputees. In 2000, they were awarded their distinct race, which was cancelled in 2004 and restored in 2008.
Wheelchair athletes compete in categories T51 to T54. These are the only categories open to women as well as men for the marathon. In 2008, three marathons were held in these categories: T52 for men, T54 for men and T54 for women. In 2012, there were only two: the men's T54 and the women's T54.

Heinrich Koeberle of Germany, active from 1984 to 2000, is the most successful Paralympic marathon competitor to date, having won four gold medals and one silver. Among the women, Connie Hansen of Denmark and Jean Driscoll of the United States have each won two Paralympic marathons.^[6]^[7]

Results by Games^[8]^[9]

1984

At the 1984 Games in Stoke Mandeville and New York, seven marathons were held for men, and four for women, all for wheelchair athletes. In the men's event 1A, only three runners started the race: Heinrich Koeberle from West Germany, his compatriot H. Lobbering (full name not recorded), and Rainer Kueschall of Switzerland. Only Koeberle reached the finish line.^[10] In women's event 5, there were only two competitors, both from Mexico. Both reached the finish line.^[11]

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon 1A details	Heinrich Koeberle West Germany
Marathon 1B details	J. Matsson Sweden	Peter Schmid Switzerland	Ronan Rooney Ireland
Marathon 1C details	Alan Dufty Australia	D. Wallen United States	Eduardo Monsalvo Mexico
Marathon 2 details	Heinz Frei Switzerland	Paul Clark Canada	Graham Condon New Zealand
Marathon 3 details	André Viger Canada	Gregor Golombek West Germany	R. Sampson Canada
Marathon 4 details	Rick Hansen Canada	Jean Francois Poitevin France	R. Minor Canada
Marathon 5 details	Mel Fitzgerald Canada	B. Hedrick United States	Tom Foran United States

Women's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon 2 details	J. Schiff United States	Patricia Hill New Zealand	Dora Garcia Mexico
Marathon 3 details	G. Beyer West Germany	Julie Russell Australia	D. Smith Great Britain
Marathon 4 details	J. Randles Australia	Kay McShane Ireland	S. Norman United States
Marathon 5 details	Juana Soto Mexico	E. Belmont Mexico

1988

The number of events at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul was expanded to eleven for men, but restricted to three for women (with category 5 being closed).

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon 1A details	Heinrich Koeberle West Germany	Rainer Kueschall Switzerland	Bart Dodson United States
Marathon 1B details	Serge Raymond Canada	Jan-Owe Mattsson Sweden	Clayton Gerein Canada
Marathon 1C details	John Brewer United States	Alan Dufty Australia	Johann Kastner West Germany
Marathon 2 details	Marc Quessy Canada	Paul Clark Canada	Michael Trujillo United States
Marathon 3 details	André Viger Canada	Urs Scheidegger Switzerland	Phil Carpenter United States
Marathon 4 details	Jean Francois Poitevin France	Farid Amarouche France	Rafael Ibarra United States
Marathon 5-6 details	Jonathon Puffenberger United States	Tom Foran United States	Georg Schrattenecker Austria
Marathon A1–3/A9/L1–2 details	Mustapha Badid France	Philippe Couprie France	Ted Vince Canada
Marathon B1 details	Joerund Gaasemyr Norway	David Jakubovich Israel	Carlos Roberto Sestrem Brazil
Marathon B2 details	Stephen Brunt Great Britain	Paul Collet France	David Mills New Zealand
Marathon B3 details	Carlos Talbott United States	Mark Farnell Great Britain	Wieslaw Miech Poland

Women's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon 2 details	Tami Oothoudt United States	Ann Walters United States	Patricia Hill New Zealand
Marathon 3 details	Candace Cable-Brooks United States	Sherry Ann Ramsey United States	Itsuko Maeda Japan
Marathon 4 details	Connie Hansen Denmark	Tracy Miller United States	Kay McShane Ireland

1992

At the 1992 Games in Barcelona, the number of events for men was cut to six: three for wheelchair athletes, and three for visually impaired athletes. The number of events for women was further reduced, down to one, for wheelchair athletes.

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon B1 details	Carlo Durante Italy	Tofiri Kibuuka Norway	Steve Brooks Canada
Marathon B2 details	Stephen Brunt Great Britain	José Ortiz Spain	Paul Collet France
Marathon B3 details	Mark Farnell Great Britain	Anton Sluka Czechoslovakia	Timo Pulkkinen Finland
Marathon TW1 details	Heinrich Koeberle Germany	Rainer Kueschall Switzerland	Giuseppe Forni Switzerland
Marathon TW2 details	Clayton Gerein Canada	Christoph Etzlstorfer Austria	Greg Smith Australia
Marathon TW3–4 details	Heinz Frei Switzerland	Claude Issorat France	Jeddie Schabort South Africa

Women's event

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon TW3–4 details	Connie Hansen Denmark	Jennette Jansen Netherlands	Lily Anggreny Germany

1996

At the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, the current categorisation system was introduced. Seven events were held for men, and one for women.

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T10 details	Harumi Yanagawa Japan	Carlo Durante Italy	Nicolas Ledezma Mexico
Marathon T11 details	Waldemar Kikolski Poland	Tomasz Chmurzynski Poland	Francisco Perez Spain
Marathon T12 details	Anton Sluka Slovakia	Mark Farnell Great Britain	J. Onofre da Costa Portugal
Marathon T42–46 details	Javier Conde Spain	Joseba Larrinaga Spain	Mark Brown Great Britain
Marathon T50 details	Heinrich Koeberle Germany	Bart Dodson United States	Tim Johansson Sweden
Marathon T51 details	Brent McMahon Canada	Clayton Gerein Canada	Patrick Cottini United States
Marathon T52–53 details	Franz Nietlispach Switzerland	Kazuya Murozuka Japan	Heinz Frei Switzerland

Women's event

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T52–53 details	Jean Driscoll United States	Kazu Hatanaka Japan	Deanna Sodoma United States

2000

The same number of events (seven for men, one for women) were maintained at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T11 details	Carlos Amaral Ferreira Portugal	Robert Matthews Great Britain	Carlo Durante Italy
Marathon T12 details	Waldemar Kikolski Poland	Stephen Brunt Great Britain	Moises Beristain Mexico
Marathon T13 details	Ildar Pomykalov Russia	Anton Sluka Slovakia	Roy Daniell Australia
Marathon T46 details	Javier Conde Spain	Mark Brown Great Britain	Michael Keohane United States
Marathon T51 details	Alvise de Vidi Italy	Heinrich Koeberle Germany	Thorsten Oppold Germany
Marathon T52 details	Clayton Gerein Canada	Christoph Etzlstorfer Austria	Thomas Geierspichler Austria
Marathon T54 details	Franz Nietlispach Switzerland	Krige Schabort South Africa	Heinz Frei Switzerland

Women's event

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T54 details	Jean Driscoll United States	Kazu Hatanaka Japan	Wakako Tsuchida Japan

2004

At the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, the number of events for men was reduced to five (one for totally blind athletes, one for visually impaired athletes, and three for wheelchair athletes), while a single wheelchair event was maintained for women.

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T11 details	Yuichi Takahashi Japan	Carlos Ferreira Portugal	Andrea Cionna Italy
Marathon T13 details	Ildar Pomykalov Russia	Roy Daniell Australia	Linas Balsys Lithuania
Marathon T51 details	Alvise De Vidi Italy	Stefan Strobel Germany	Edgar Navarro Mexico
Marathon T52 details	Toshihiro Takada Japan	Thomas Geierspichler Austria	Clayton Gerein Canada
Marathon T54 details	Kurt Fearnley Australia	Kelly Smith Canada	Tomasz Hamerlak Poland

Women's event

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T54 details	Kazu Hatanaka Japan	Wakako Tsuchida Japan	Cheri Blauwet United States

2008

At the 2008 Games in Beijing, the number of events for men was again reduced, down to four (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, two for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T12 details	Qi Shun China	Elkin Serna Colombia	Ildar Pomykalov Russia
Marathon T46 details	Mario Santillan Mexico	Tito Sena Brazil	Walter Endrizzi Italy
Marathon T52 details	Thomas Geierspichler Austria	Hirokazu Ueyonabaru Japan	Toshihiro Takada Japan
Marathon T54 details	Kurt Fearnley Australia	Hiroki Sasahara Japan	Ernst van Dyk South Africa

Women's event

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T54 details	Edith Hunkeler Switzerland	Amanda McGrory United States	Sandra Graf Switzerland

2012

At the 2012 Games in London, the number of events for men was once more reduced, down to three (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, one for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.

Men's events

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T12 details	Alberto Suarez Laso Spain	Elkin Serna Colombia	Abderrahim Zhiou Tunisia
Marathon T46 details	Tito Sena Brazil	Abderrahman Khamouch Spain	Frederic Van den Heede Belgium
Marathon T54 details	David Weir Great Britain	Marcel Hug Switzerland	Kurt Fearnley Australia

Women's event

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Marathon T54 details	Shirley Reilly United States	Shelly Woods Great Britain	Sandra Graf Switzerland

2016

Medal table


Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States (USA)	9	8	10	27
2	Canada (CAN)	9	4	6	19
3	Switzerland (SUI)	5	5	5	15
4	Germany (GER)	5	3	3	11
5	Japan (JPN)	4	6	3	13
6	Great Britain (GBR)	4	6	2	12
7	Australia (AUS)	4	3	3	10
8	Spain (ESP)	3	3	1	7
9	Italy (ITA)	3	1	3	7
10	France (FRA)	2	5	1	8
11	Denmark (DEN)	2	4	0	6
12	Mexico (MEX)	2	1	5	8
13	Poland (POL)	2	1	2	5
14	Russia (RUS)	2	0	1	3
15	Austria (AUT)	1	3	2	6
16	Brazil (BRA)	1	1	1	3
	Portugal (POR)	1	1	1	3
	Sweden (SWE)	1	1	1	3
19	Norway (NOR)	1	1	0	2
19	Slovakia (SVK)	1	1	0	2
21	China (CHN)	1	0	0	1
22	Colombia (COL)	0	2	0	2
23	New Zealand (NZL)	0	1	3	4
24	Ireland (IRL)	0	1	2	3
24	South Africa (RSA)	0	1	2	3
26	Czechoslovakia (TCH)	0	1	0	1
	Israel (ISR)	0	1	0	1
	Netherlands (NED)	0	1	0	1
29	Belgium (BEL)	0	0	1	1
	Finland (FIN)	0	0	1	1
	Lithuania (LTU)	0	0	1	1
	Tunisia (TUN)	0	0	1	1
Totals (32 entries)		63	66	61	190

Notes

↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "A-Z of Paralympic classification", British Broadcasting Corporation
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "New York / Stoke Mandeville 1984 Paralympic Games: Athletics: Men's Marathon 1A", International Paralympic Committee
↑ "New York / Stoke Mandeville 1984 Paralympic Games: Athletics: Women's Marathon 5", International Paralympic Committee

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[1] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[2] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[3] "A-Z of Paralympic classification", British Broadcasting Corporation

[4] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[5] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[6] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[7] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[8] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Men's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[9] "Medallists by Event: Athletics: Women's Marathon", International Paralympic Committee

[10] "New York / Stoke Mandeville 1984 Paralympic Games: Athletics: Men's Marathon 1A", International Paralympic Committee

[11] "New York / Stoke Mandeville 1984 Paralympic Games: Athletics: Women's Marathon 5", International Paralympic Committee

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Marathons at the Paralympics

Contents

Results by Games [8] [9]

1984

1988

1992

1996

2000

2004

2008

2012

2016

Medal table

Notes

Related Research Articles

Results by Games^[8]^[9]