Peg Neppel

Peggy ‘Peg’ Neppel

Personal information
Born	(1953-08-16)August 16, 1953 [1] Dolliver, Iowa
Died	(1981-10-16)October 16, 1981
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	10000 metres

Peg Neppel (later Peg Darrah) was a world record holder in the women's 10,000 metres.

Early life

Neppel was a student at Iowa State University where she achieved master's and bachelor's degrees.

Athletics career

Neppel recorded one world record in the women's 10,000 metres of 33:15.1 (33:15.09) on 9 June 1977 in Westwood, California. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

The mark is unofficial because the world governing body of athletics, the IAAF (now World Athletics), did not list an official world record in the event until 1981.

The time was achieved whilst winning the 1977 AAU championship at that distance.

Neppel is also attributed with two other world best times: ^[5]

• In the 3 miles of 15:41.69 in 1976
• In the 5,000 m of 15:52.27 in 1977 at the Drake Relays.

Neppel was also inaugural champion at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) cross-country championships in 1975. The event was hosted by her college.

Later Life and Death

Peg Neppel married Mark Darrah in 1979. She was just a few weeks short of receiving her doctorate in animal science when she tragically died on 16 October 1981 of pneumonia, a complication of the cancer she was suffering from. ^[5]

Awards and Accolades

In 1998, Neppel was inducted into the Iowa State University Hall of Fame. ^[6]

Neppel is also an inductee in the Iowa Association of Track Coaches (IATC) Hall of Fame. ^[5]

References

1. "Progression of World Athletics Records ebook". World Athletics.
2. Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p. 573.
3. "Peg Neppel". World Athletics.
4. IAAF World Records Progression - 2015 Edition (PDF). IAAF. 2015. p. 591. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-11-03.
5. "Peggy "Peg" Neppel-Darrah". Iowa Association of Track Coaches. Archived from the original on 2025-08-05. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
6. "Peg Neppel". Iowa State University. Retrieved 31 December 2025.