Eleanor Robinson

Eleanor Robinson (formerly Adams, née Puckrin, 20 November 1947) is a British former ultramarathon runner and two-time winner of the IAU 100km World Championships. She was the first woman to run over 150 miles in a 24-hour endurance race. She was the winner of the first Badwater Ultramarathon in 1987. She was twice bronze medallist at the IAU 100 km European Championships (1992, 1993). Early life Eleanor Robinson, née Puckrin, was brought up in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, the sister of Arthur, Richard and Philip. All of them were keen athletes. Arthur, the eldest, at the age of 69 broke the over 50s world record for the Tetra-Ironman in Virginia in October 2007. Career Eleanor Robinson's ultramarathon career arguably began when she witnessed Ros Paul, a fellow Briton, set a record of for 24 hours on the first day of a 6-day race in 1982. This was the first year that British women had run a track ultra and on that first occasion, Lynn Fitzgerald had beaten Ros Paul, setting world bests at 50 miles, 100 km (60 miles) and for 24 hours. It wasn't until 1985, however, that Robinson took on the 24-hour race at an event in Nottingham, where she broke the record with a distance of . In the meantime, Robinson took part in the inaugural Spartathlon in 1983. The race covers the 250 km (150 mile) route that the Athenian messenger Pheidippides took in 490BC running from Athens to Sparta to get help against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. While Yiannis Kouros won the race, Robinson was the first woman to cross the line, in 32:37:52.