This is part five of a series of posts about the development of women’s six day races from 1981 onwards. In 1984, the six day record changed hands five times. Four women extended the distance by 91 miles that year. The first was British ultrarunner Christine Barrett at Stoke-on-Trent. This is the story of the second woman to set the record that year, American Mary Hanudel.

Summary of the world record progression

Mary Hanudel – June 1984 – Pennsauken New Jersey

Mary Hanudel (born 1960) was just 24 when she set a new six day record at the Edward Payson Weston Six Day race at Pennsauken, New Jersey. It was the fifth edition of the race where Marcy Schwam had set the modern era record in 1981. The race took place from 17th to 23rd June. It was just a month since Christine Barrett had broken Eleanor Adams’ 1983 record at the Trentham Gardens Six Day Race in Stoke-on-Trent.

Hanudel was studying cardiovascular therapy at the University of Toledo. She joined the running classes given by visionary long-distance runner, Sy Mah. Thian “Sy” Mah (1926-1988) was a physical education instructor at the university. He held the record for the most marathons run and had run over 300 by 1984. Through his running classes he encouraged his young students, both men and women, to run marathons and ultras. This was very unusual at the time, particularly for women. He coached and mentored many runners, including Lorna Richey who was two years older than Hanudel. Richey had set the American six day record in 1983 when she ran 401 miles at the inaugural New York Six Day Race.

The Edward Payson Weston race was Hanudel’s first multi-day event. The furthest she had raced before was 50 miles.

The Edward Payson Weston Six Day Race 1984

The race was held on a 440-yard cinder track in Cooper River Park, Pennsauken, New Jersey. The weather conditions were favourable with rain during the first two days followed by sunny, mild weather. In his race report in Ultrarunning magazine, Dan Brannen noted that, “It was the first year in this race’s history that the track was not flooded for at least a few hours.”

The men’s race was won by Don Choi, the American record-holder. Astonishingly, this was Choi’s fifth multi-day race in three months. He had competed in two six day races in April. Then in May, he’d completed the 875km Westfield Sydney to Melbourne run, followed by the Trentham Gardens Six Day Race.

Dan Brannen began his report with a description of the men’s race, but went on to say to the men “get in the back seat please because this one belonged to the women“. There were three women in the race: Hanudel, Myra Linden, 56, and Mary Margaret Goodwin, 46. According to Brannen, “this was the Mary and Myra show all the way“. Hanudel was the women’s winner with 423 miles, breaking Christine Barrett’s record by just over a mile. Linden ran 330 miles, 1320 yards. Brannen states this was a new masters record (age 40+), surpassing by over four miles the distance Carmel Baker had run in the Charles Rowell Six Day Race the year before.