According to the New York Road Runners, she was “a tiny runner who won some huge races.” By she, I mean Michiko (better known as Miki), Gorman. Born on August 9, 1935, in Qingdao, China to Japanese parents she lived her childhood in poverty. Her father worked for Japan’s imperial army and her family was always hungry. As the oldest sister, Miki helped take care of her younger twin brothers. She quelled her poverty and moved to the U.S at 28. In the U.S, she married Michael Gorman who helped discover her passion for running. Later on, she relocated to Los Angeles because she received a job offer for a secretary position looking for someone who could speak English and Japanese.
Her husband pushed her to run due to her limited social life. She wasn’t very eager at first. Miki did receive a lot of negative feedback due to her harmless passion just because she was a woman. Someone even went far enough to say she should stay in the kitchen as a woman should. “I tried to ignore attitudes like that,” she said. But, what really encouraged her was when a woman, Jacqueline Hansen, won the Boston Marathon.
After this new encouragement, Miki talked to coaches for two weeks, and then they decided it was time for a marathon. Gorman joined a club that hosted a competition for the runner who could run the most miles, which was 100. The first year Gorman only ran 86, she cried that year, but the year after was a success. She was able to run all 100 miles.
Miki first began running as a way to gain weight. She was tiny and her husband thought that if she exercised more, she would become hungrier. She was 41 at the time and very insecure with her body considering she had also given birth not long ago. Who would’ve thought that she would later go on to win many marathons? She had had her baby around the time of the New York City Marathon and still decided to go for it. Surprisingly, she won even though she had many difficulties preventing her from doing her best. Gorman then went on to set many records and win many marathons. She set an unofficial record at the Western Hemisphere Marathon in 1973, coming in at 2 hours, 46 minutes, and 36 seconds, Gorman won the Boston marathon in 1974, 1977, and placed second in 1976, she set another record for the Boston marathon in 1974, became a two time New York City Marathon champion in 1976 and 1977, established a record time of 2 hours, 39 minutes, and 11 seconds, being just a minute off of the World Record became the World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg in 1977, also became the World Masters Athletics Championships in Hanover in 1979, set the woman’s record in a half marathon in 1978, and that’s actually not all. Gorman suffered through multiple injuries which didn’t allow her to compete much, but she still continued to push through and look at how much she accomplished! She officially retired from competitive running in 1982.
Even though Miki faced many difficulties in her journey, she managed to be one of the most successful. She is currently the only female to win the NYC Marathon and Boston Marathon twice, she is part of the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame, USATF Masters Hall of Fame, and National Distance Running Hall of Fame. After becoming a part of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, Gorman had modestly stated, “I do not deserve it.” She even went on to be depicted in films, but she sadly passed in 2015 at the age of 80 from lung cancer. She continues to be a legacy for many women who run today. She didn’t let anything stop her and that’s what many admire about her.
“All I want to do is speed, speed.” - Miki Gorman
Researcher: IV Team
Writer: Fatima Nadeem
Editor: IV Team
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