Marla Runyan

Athlete – Track & Field
Inducted 2010

Marla Runyan holds three national titles in the 1500m event and was ranked number one in the United States in 5k and marathon distances in 2002. Additionally, she is a two-time Olympian, USA Indoor 3000m champion, and placed tenth in the 1500m race at the 1999 World Outdoor Championships. Runyan holds records in the 20k, all-female marathon, 500m, and heptathlon events. Runyan received a degree in Education of the Deaf at San Diego State University and another degree in Education of Deaf-Blind Children in 1994. In 2000, Runyan became the first legally blind American to compete in the Olympics where she placed eighth in the 1500m event and had the top finish for an American female in the race. Runyan currently resides in Oregon with her husband, daughter, and dog.