# Marathons at the Paralympics

Marathon events have been held at the Summer Paralympic Games, for both men and women, since the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville and New York City. They are held as part of the Paralympic athletics programme.
Since the 1996 Games in Atlanta, marathon events, along with all other track events, have been categorised as follows:
* Visually impaired athletes compete in categories T11, T12 and T13, based on their level of disability. Totally blind athletes compete in T11 events, and are permitted to run with a sighted guide. (In 1996 only, the categories were named T10, T11 and T12, and blind athletes were thus categorised "T10".) The marathon for visually impaired athletes is held only for men, and in 2008, no marathon was held in categories T11 or T13, leaving the men's T12 marathon as the sole event for visually impaired athletes. The same was true in 2012.
* Athletes with lower limb amputations, competing with prosthetics, run in categories T42 to T44, depending on their level of disability. In the marathon, athletes in these categories were able to compete only in 1996, when they were grouped together in a single event. The event was held for men only.
* Athletes with upper limb amputations compete in category T46. The marathon in this category exists only for men. In 1996, they ran mixed with lower limb amputees. In 2000, they were awarded their distinct race, which was cancelled in 2004 and restored in 2008.
* Wheelchair athletes compete in categories T51 to T54. These are the only categories open to women as well as men for the marathon. In 2008, three marathons were held in these categories: T52 for men, T54 for men and T54 for women. In 2012, there were only two: the men's T54 and the women's T54.
Heinrich Koeberle of Germany, active from 1984 to 2000, is the most successful Paralympic marathon competitor to date, having won four gold medals and one silver. Among the women, Connie Hansen of Denmark and Jean Driscoll of the United States have each won two Paralympic marathons.

## Results by Games

Spurces:

### 1984

At the 1984 Games in Stoke Mandeville and New York, seven marathons were held for men, and four for women, all for wheelchair athletes. In the men's event 1A, only three runners started the race: Heinrich Koeberle from West Germany, his compatriot H. Lobbering (full name not recorded), and Rainer Kueschall of Switzerland. Only Koeberle reached the finish line. In women's event 5, there were only two competitors, both from Mexico. Both reached the finish line.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon 1A details | Heinrich Koeberle West Germany | | |
| Marathon 1B details | J. Matsson Sweden | Peter Schmid Switzerland | Ronan Rooney Ireland |
| Marathon 1C details | Alan Dufty Australia | D. Wallen United States | Eduardo Monsalvo Mexico |
| Marathon 2 details | Heinz Frei Switzerland | Paul Clark Canada | Graham Condon New Zealand |
| Marathon 3 details | André Viger Canada | Gregor Golombek West Germany | R. Sampson Canada |
| Marathon 4 details | Rick Hansen Canada | Jean Francois Poitevin France | R. Minor Canada |
| Marathon 5 details | Mel Fitzgerald Canada | B. Hedrick United States | Tom Foran United States |
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon 2 details | J. Schiff United States | Patricia Hill New Zealand | Dora Garcia Mexico |
| Marathon 3 details | G. Beyer West Germany | Julie Russell Australia | D. Smith Great Britain |
| Marathon 4 details | J. Randles Australia | Kay McShane Ireland | S. Norman United States |
| Marathon 5 details | Juana Soto Mexico | E. Belmont Mexico | |

### 1988

The number of events at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul was expanded to eleven for men, but restricted to three for women (with category 5 being closed).
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon 1A details | Heinrich Koeberle West Germany | Rainer Kueschall Switzerland | Bart Dodson United States |
| Marathon 1B details | Serge Raymond Canada | Jan-Owe Mattsson Sweden | Clayton Gerein Canada |
| Marathon 1C details | John Brewer United States | Alan Dufty Australia | Johann Kastner West Germany |
| Marathon 2 details | Marc Quessy Canada | Paul Clark Canada | Michael Trujillo United States |
| Marathon 3 details | André Viger Canada | Urs Scheidegger Switzerland | Phil Carpenter United States |
| Marathon 4 details | Jean Francois Poitevin France | Farid Amarouche France | Rafael Ibarra United States |
| Marathon 5-6 details | Jonathon Puffenberger United States | Tom Foran United States | Georg Schrattenecker Austria |
| Marathon A1–3/A9/L1–2 details | Mustapha Badid France | Philippe Couprie France | Ted Vince Canada |
| Marathon B1 details | Joerund Gaasemyr Norway | David Jakubovich Israel | Carlos Roberto Sestrem Brazil |
| Marathon B2 details | Stephen Brunt Great Britain | Paul Collet France | David Mills New Zealand |
| Marathon B3 details | Carlos Talbott United States | Mark Farnell Great Britain | Wieslaw Miech Poland |
Women's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon 2 details | Tami Oothoudt United States | Ann Walters United States | Patricia Hill New Zealand |
| Marathon 3 details | Candace Cable-Brooks United States | Sherry Ann Ramsey United States | Itsuko Maeda Japan |
| Marathon 4 details | Connie Hansen Denmark | Tracy Miller United States | Kay McShane Ireland |

### 1992

At the 1992 Games in Barcelona, the number of events for men was cut to six: three for wheelchair athletes, and three for visually impaired athletes. The number of events for women was further reduced, down to one, for wheelchair athletes.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon B1 details | Carlo Durante Italy | Tofiri Kibuuka Norway | Steve Brooks Canada |
| Marathon B2 details | Stephen Brunt Great Britain | José Ortiz Spain | Paul Collet France |
| Marathon B3 details | Mark Farnell Great Britain | Anton Sluka Czechoslovakia | Timo Pulkkinen Finland |
| Marathon TW1 details | Heinrich Koeberle Germany | Rainer Kueschall Switzerland | Giuseppe Forni Switzerland |
| Marathon TW2 details | Clayton Gerein Canada | Christoph Etzlstorfer Austria | Greg Smith Australia |
| Marathon TW3–4 details | Heinz Frei Switzerland | Claude Issorat France | Jeddie Schabort South Africa |
Women's event
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon TW3–4 details | Connie Hansen Denmark | Jennette Jansen Netherlands | Lily Anggreny Germany |

### 1996

At the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, the current categorisation system was introduced. Seven events were held for men, and one for women.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T10 details | Harumi Yanagawa Japan | Carlo Durante Italy | Nicolas Ledezma Mexico |
| Marathon T11 details | Waldemar Kikolski Poland | Tomasz Chmurzynski Poland | Francisco Perez Spain |
| Marathon T12 details | Anton Sluka Slovakia | Mark Farnell Great Britain | J. Onofre da Costa Portugal |
| Marathon T42–46 details | Javier Conde Spain | Joseba Larrinaga Spain | Mark Brown Great Britain |
| Marathon T50 details | Heinrich Koeberle Germany | Bart Dodson United States | Tim Johansson Sweden |
| Marathon T51 details | Brent McMahon Canada | Clayton Gerein Canada | Patrick Cottini United States |
| Marathon T52–53 details | Franz Nietlispach Switzerland | Kazuya Murozuka Japan | Heinz Frei Switzerland |
Women's event
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T52–53 details | Jean Driscoll United States | Kazu Hatanaka Japan | Deanna Sodoma United States |

### 2000

The same number of events (seven for men, one for women) were maintained at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T11 details | Carlos Amaral Ferreira Portugal | Robert Matthews Great Britain | Carlo Durante Italy |
| Marathon T12 details | Waldemar Kikolski Poland | Stephen Brunt Great Britain | Moises Beristain Mexico |
| Marathon T13 details | Ildar Pomykalov Russia | Anton Sluka Slovakia | Roy Daniell Australia |
| Marathon T46 details | Javier Conde Spain | Mark Brown Great Britain | Michael Keohane United States |
| Marathon T51 details | Alvise de Vidi Italy | Heinrich Koeberle Germany | Thorsten Oppold Germany |
| Marathon T52 details | Clayton Gerein Canada | Christoph Etzlstorfer Austria | Thomas Geierspichler Austria |
| Marathon T54 details | Franz Nietlispach Switzerland | Krige Schabort South Africa | Heinz Frei Switzerland |
Women's event
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T54 details | Jean Driscoll United States | Kazu Hatanaka Japan | Wakako Tsuchida Japan |

### 2004

At the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, the number of events for men was reduced to five (one for totally blind athletes, one for visually impaired athletes, and three for wheelchair athletes), while a single wheelchair event was maintained for women.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T11 details | Yuichi Takahashi Japan | Carlos Ferreira Portugal | Andrea Cionna Italy |
| Marathon T13 details | Ildar Pomykalov Russia | Roy Daniell Australia | Linas Balsys Lithuania |
| Marathon T51 details | Alvise De Vidi Italy | Stefan Strobel Germany | Edgar Navarro Mexico |
| Marathon T52 details | Toshihiro Takada Japan | Thomas Geierspichler Austria | Clayton Gerein Canada |
| Marathon T54 details | Kurt Fearnley Australia | Kelly Smith Canada | Tomasz Hamerlak Poland |
Women's event
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T54 details | Kazu Hatanaka Japan | Wakako Tsuchida Japan | Cheri Blauwet United States |

### 2008

At the 2008 Games in Beijing, the number of events for men was again reduced, down to four (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, two for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T12 details | Qi Shun China | Elkin Serna Colombia | Ildar Pomykalov Russia |
| Marathon T46 details | Mario Santillan Mexico | Tito Sena Brazil | Walter Endrizzi Italy |
| Marathon T52 details | Thomas Geierspichler Austria | Hirokazu Ueyonabaru Japan | Toshihiro Takada Japan |
| Marathon T54 details | Kurt Fearnley Australia | Hiroki Sasahara Japan | Ernst van Dyk South Africa |
Women's event
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T54 details | Edith Hunkeler Switzerland | Amanda McGrory United States | Sandra Graf Switzerland |

### 2012

At the 2012 Games in London, the number of events for men was once more reduced, down to three (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, one for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.
Men's events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T12 details | Alberto Suarez Laso Spain | Elkin Serna Colombia | Abderrahim Zhiou Tunisia |
| Marathon T46 details | Tito Sena Brazil | Abderrahman Khamouch Spain | Frederic Van den Heede Belgium |
| Marathon T54 details | David Weir Great Britain | Marcel Hug Switzerland | Kurt Fearnley Australia |
Women's event
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Marathon T54 details | Shirley Reilly United States | Shelly Woods Great Britain | Sandra Graf Switzerland |

### 2016

In Rio de Janeiro, Three men's marathons and two women's marathons were contested on 18 September 2016.

### 2020

The 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the marathon events held on 5 September 2021. The men's marathon was held in the T12, T46, and T54 classifications, and the women's marathon in T12 and T54.

### 2024

Four marathon events, T12 and T54 for both men and women, were contested on 8 September 2024 in Paris.

## Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States (USA) | 9 | 8 | 10 | 27 |
| 2 | Canada (CAN) | 9 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 3 | Switzerland (SUI) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 4 | Germany (GER) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 5 | Japan (JPN) | 4 | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 6 | Great Britain (GBR) | 4 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| 7 | Australia (AUS) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 8 | Spain (ESP) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Italy (ITA) | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | France (FRA) | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| 11 | Denmark (DEN) | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 12 | Mexico (MEX) | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 13 | Poland (POL) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 14 | Russia (RUS) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Austria (AUT) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 16 | Brazil (BRA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Portugal (POR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 | Norway (NOR) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Slovakia (SVK) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | China (CHN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Colombia (COL) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 24 | Ireland (IRL) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 24 | South Africa (RSA) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 26 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Israel (ISR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 29 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Finland (FIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Lithuania (LTU) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Tunisia (TUN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (32 entries) | Totals (32 entries) | 63 | 66 | 61 | 190 |