Law School Dean Completes the Boston Marathon in Her Eighth Month of Pregnancy

Jocelyn Benson, dean of the Wayne University Law School in Detroit, is expecting her first child on June 4. On April 18, Dean Benson, with the approval of her doctor, competed in and finished the Boston Marathon. She completed the 26-mile course in six hours, 12 minutes, and 32 seconds.

This is the second time Dean Benson has run in the Boston Marathon. In 2009, she completed the course in four hours. Overall, Benson has run in 22 marathons.

Benson became dean of the law school at Wayne State University in 2014. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard Law School.

This year’s event marked the 50th anniversary of when a woman first ran in the Boston Marathon. In 1966, Roberta Gibb hid in the bushes near the start and then jumped into the field and completed the race. Women were not officially allowed to enter the race until 1972. That year, eight women competed and all eight completed the course.