Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Your Plus plan is $7.95 a month after 30 day trial. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Miles to Go  By  cover art

Miles to Go

By: Peter McDonnell
Narrated by: Joan Benoit Samuelson,Carol Monda
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Episodes
  • Mar 3 2022
    The first Olympic women's marathon and the battle for the right to run

    On August 5, 1984, millions of people around the world watched the first ever women’s Olympic marathon live on ABC. Until this day, women had never been allowed to run even a mile at the Games, much less a marathon. When Joan Benoit Samuelson broke away from the lead pack at mile 3, it was a shocker. No runner had ever attacked so early and won an Olympic marathon. But on August 5th, there were a lot of firsts. The history of women’s distance running is a largely untold story of triumph over discrimination. For much of the 20th century, America’s cinder tracks and open roads became unlikely battlegrounds for a handful of pioneering women runners who broke the gender barrier in races, showing that women can be athletes too, and helped to advance women’s civil rights. But the Olympics were a last barrier for female distance runners, making the first women’s marathon at the Games a major milestone. In fact, US marathons had been open to women for only a decade. And before that, women in the US were prohibited from competing in runs of more than a few miles. Before that, they were hardly even allowed on the track. This is the story of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s incredible journey to the Olympics and of the other women who paved the way and competed against her, whose passion for running also became a race for equality - and change - that continues today. Joan has run over 160,000 miles in her life… and counting. Miles to Go. *MILES TO GO is being released in honor of Women’s History Month, and on the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 passage of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.
    Show more Show less
    1 min
  • Mar 3 2022
    Joan and the world’s best marathoners meet in LA to compete in the first ever women’s Olympic marathon. Men have been competing in marathons since the modern games were created in 1896, so why did it take until 1984 for women to get the chance?
    Show more Show less
    20 mins
  • Mar 3 2022
    Joan runs in the lead pack as commentators speculate whether her surgically repaired knee will hold up. One of the people watching is Julia Chase Brand, who became the first woman - when Joan was just four years old - to break the gender barrier in distance running in 1961 by crashing the famous men’s only Manchester Road Race and making headlines.
    Show more Show less
    25 mins

About the Narrator

Joan Benoit Samuelson is an American runner and the winner of the first ever women’s Olympic marathon, held in 1984. She is a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon as well as the winner of numerous other marathons and road and track races. In 1983, Joan set a world record in the marathon and has set numerous American and course records. Known for her mental toughness, Joan overcame serious injury to run the Olympic marathon, where her commanding win ushered in a new era of popularity and competitiveness in women’s running. But she has always said that none of her success would have been possible if not for the pioneering women runners who came before her and broke the gender barrier in track and road racing.
In 1998, Joan founded the Beach to Beacon 10k road race, which ends at one of America’s most famous lighthouses—Portland Head Light. The annual Beach to Beacon 10k shines the light on kids and benefits a different children’s charity each year. The race attracts over 6,000 athletes including an international field of some of the world’s top distance runners.
Joan and her husband Scott Samuelson have two grown children and live in Maine, not far from where Joan grew up. She still runs the same roads as when she trained for the Olympics.

About the Creator and Writer

Peter McDonnell is an author and producer of audiobooks, audio series, and podcasts.
He is a writer and executive producer of the New York Times bestseller Evil Has a Name, as well as Call Me God, selected as one of Audible’s Top 10 Listens of 2019, Shootout, Brooklyn North, The Riddle of Emmon Bodfish, selected as one of Audible’s Best Listens of 2021, A Devil in the Valley, and After the Fall. Peter has executive produced many other audio series including the sports series Out of Bounds. Peter is a co-executive producer of the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Pandemic and the NBC documentary series The Forgotten West Memphis Three.
Peter runs the audio department at XG Productions. He and his wife, Sarah, and their two children live in Los Angeles, where Peter–a lifelong fan of endurance sports–also coaches mountain biking.

About the Narrator

Carol Monda is an audiobook narrator, voiceover talent, and veteran actor. She is a two-time Audie Award winner, a recipient of AudioFile’s Earphone Awards, and has been featured in several publications’ Top 10 Audiobooks of the Year lists. Carol has narrated over 400 audiobooks in genres including Mystery, Biography, Memoir, Horror, History, Dramatic Fiction, Crime, Inspirational, Young Adult, Fantasy, Politics and Government, Sci-Fi, Western, Pulp Fiction, Humor, Romance, Thriller, and Sports.

XG Productions

Created, Written, Directed, and Produced by Peter McDonnell
Presented by Joan Benoit Samuelson and Carol Monda
Edited by Peter McDonnell and Andrea Bruce
Dialogue Editing, Sound Design, Mixing and Mastering by Matt Gurgol
Assistant Produced by Sydney Sidell
Field Recording in Los Angeles by Matt Gurgol
Field Recording in Portland, Maine by Sean Slaughter
Studio Recording by Flying Sound (Portland, Maine), Central Oregon Recording (Bend, OR), Ausicle Studios (Ayer, MA), CedarHouse Sound & Mastering (North Sutton, NH), 48 Windows Music & Mix (Los Angeles), RAL Studios (State College, PA), CyberSound Recording Studios (Boston, MA), The Bridge Sound & Stage (Cambridge, MA), The Hit Room Studio (New London, CT), and Buttons NY (NYC, NY), and Polaroide Music (Oslo, Norway)
Narration Recording at John Marshall Media, Inc. (NYC, NY)*
Original Music by Matt Gurgol
Cover Art by Ivan Canu
Executive Producers for XG Productions: Peter McDonnell, Spencer Gordon, and Peter Clemente
Produced by XG Productions

What listeners say about Miles to Go

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    114
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    109
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Miles to Go - an engaging run

You don't have to be a fan of women's running history to be engaged by Joan Benoit Samuelson's story. Following her quest to become the first women's Olympic Marathon Champion in 1984, running the streets of L.A., you'll hear how it happened through her own words and the voices of her friends, including women runners who went before, and those close to Joanie who supported her on this journey. You'll be enthralled!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exhilarating, Inspiring

Wonderful weaving of the struggle to establish the rightful place of women in competitive running with Joan Benoit Samuelson’s path to winning the inaugural Womens Olympic Marathon. Loved hearing the voices of so many of the women runners who brought down the barriers to their full participation in the sport. They made this history and their involvement in this series makes it an authentic record. Joan is an inspirational athlete on all levels.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

I thought that this was a compelling story. I am a runner so i was familiar with it but i recommend it to non-runners as well. Joan's story is one of courage and perseverance that will inspire everyone.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Long Distance Runner

I absolutely love this series. My husband and I binge listened to it at dinner and continued until bedtime. We were both inspired by Joan's dogged persistence, courage, and focus. And we both admire her kindness and humility which came through her words and voice. We highly recommend this amazing and true story.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must listen for all runners.

So thankful Audible put this together. Very inspiring. A must listen for all runners. This is important history and it was great to get the full story. So many legends!!! We owe them all our gratitude.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heady. Captivating. Insightful

This series opened my eyes to the many challenges female runners experienced for years. It now strikes me as ludicrous that a bunch of men were adamant about keeping us off the tracks... we have come a long, long way, babe.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

thank you Joan for the inspiring story.

I am recovering from a heart procedure. I had my best run since the procedure while listening. Next is to run her race in Maine.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational Story

If you were alive in 1984, as I was, you know how the story ends. Nevertheless I did not know all the details for women’s competition in the Olympics that preceded. This story exposes that Joan Benoit and particularly many activists, of course, all women, did more than run marathons to change minds and open the field up for all humans. This is compelling history, and well told.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Wow! Just wow. So engaging, I can’t stop listening. A fantastic listen for runners and non-runners alike.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tour d’Femme

This wonderfully written series inspects the evolution of women’s competitive running and the fight for its inclusion among a historically male dominated arena. It’s a story of discipline, courage and passion. I was inspired to learn of the small and large steps that put women on the running track, the lengths they went to and the fortitude it took in the face of many setbacks.

Joan Benoit Samuelson speaks with candor, wit and a grounded modesty. But there’s nothing modest about her journey. The podcast also features fascinating interviews with an international cadre of runners and other players in their truly impressive winners’ circle.

1 person found this helpful

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Natalia
  • Natalia
  • 11-23-22

Informative and interesting

Interesting stories. Really enjoyed listening with my 11 year old daughter, who also loved it and was inspired.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kt
  • Kt
  • 10-01-22

Listen while you run

Made me run too fast! Buzzing to hear these women's stories. Very inspirational and loving to see how far we've come in such a short time.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for jenny De'Ath
  • jenny De'Ath
  • 09-15-22

Loved this series

As a woman who plods I have loved this series what amazing women and fascinating stories

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for katrina
  • katrina
  • 05-25-22

Inspiring and interesting

So much I didn’t know about women in sport. Loved hearing these inspiring woman and how they pursued their love of running during such adversity. Really interesting and well presented narrative.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Danielle King
  • Danielle King
  • 04-06-22

Exciting and Educational

I loved this podcast! It's the exciting true story of women fighting for the right to run. I can't believe that I was alive when the fight first started and I didn't know about it! Well I do now!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Richard Southworth
  • Richard Southworth
  • 03-25-22

Highly recommended listening for runners

This is a brilliantly told and well-produced story about the struggles women faced to be allowed to compete in long-distance running, culminating in the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984. While this will appeal to anyone with an interest in the themes involved, I think those who run themselves will especially get something out of it.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Fran
  • Fran
  • 03-23-22

Inspiring Story

I loved this, and listened all in one go. As a (very) amateur runner I found these women so inspiring and even cried on the train while listening at one point!