| Marilyn Bevans | |
| Sport: | Long-distance running |
| Event: | Marathon |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | 4 October 1949[1] |
| Birth Place: | Baltimore, MD, United States[2] |
| Pb: | Marathon 2:49:56[3] |
Marilyn Bevans was the first sub-three-hour, African-American female marathon runner, and the first national-class black female American marathoner.[3] [4] She came in second place at the 1973 Maryland Marathon with a time of 3:31:45, and again came in second at the 1977 Boston Marathon, where she ran 2:51:12.[3] [5] In 1977, she was ranked as the 10th fastest female marathoner in the world by Track & Field News.[3] Her personal best came in 1979, when she ran 2:49:56 at the 1979 Boston Marathon.[3] From 2013, her occupation included being a mid-distance and long-distance running coach at Baltimore's Perry Hall High School. She has been named All-Metro Coach of the Year twice.[3]
Bevans was inducted into the National Black Marathoners Association's Distance Runner Hall of Fame in 2013, as part of their first class of inductees.[3] [4] She was also named as one of the 2014 Heroes of Running by Runner's World.[6]
She has a BS in education from Morgan State University, and MA, MS Degrees in Curriculum Development from Springfield College.[5]