Bill Rodgers

Running career

In the fall of 1966, Rodgers enrolled at Wesleyan University where he ran cross country and track, graduating with a B.A. in sociology in 1970. One of his teammates and college roommate, Amby Burfoot, won the 1968 Boston Marathon while still a student at Wesleyan and went on to edit Runner's World magazine. Another teammate and friend was future Olympian Jeff Galloway, who is a noted author on running.

Rodgers was inducted to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame on December 3, 1999, in ceremonies in Los Angeles. In 1998, Rodgers was inducted in the first round to the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, New York.

Rodgers has run the Bix 7 road race in Davenport, Iowa, every year since 1980, earning the local nickname "Bix Billy". A bronze statue of Rodgers and Joan Benoit Samuelson was erected near the Bix finish line in 2007.

On April 20, 2015, Patriots' Day, Rodgers was honored by the Boston Red Sox as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park.

Bill Rodgers Running Center in Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston was owned and operated by Bill and his brother Charlie. The family-run business operated from 1977 to 2013. He lives in the small town of Boxborough, Massachusetts, and still participates in running-themed events.

Rodgers was named as a Grand Marshal for the 2025 Boston Marathon, alongside long-time friend and fellow Boston Marathon champion, Bob Hall, a wheelchair athlete.

Marathons 1973 Boston Marathon (Did not Finish)(DNF) 1973 Bay State Marathon (2:28:12) 1st Course Record (CR) 1974 Boston (2:19:34) 14th 1974 New York City Marathon (NYC) (2:36:00) 5th 1974 Philadelphia Marathon (2:21:57) 1st CR 1975 Boston (2:09:55) 1st American Record (AR) 1975 Enschede Marathon, Netherlands (DNF) 1975 Fukuoka Marathon (2:11:26) 3rd 1976 Olympic Trials (2:11:58) 2nd 1976 Montreal Olympics (2:25:14) 40th 1976 NYC (2:10:10) 1st CR 1976 Sado Island, Japan (2:08:23) 1st CR (200 meters short) 1976 Maryland (2:14:12) 1st CR 1977 Kyoto, Japan (2:14:25) 1st 1977 Boston (DNF) 1977 Amsterdam, Netherlands (2:12:47) 1st CR 1977 Waynesboro (2:25:12) 1st 1977 NYC (2:11:28) 1st 1977 Fukuoka (2:10:55) 1st 1978 Boston (2:10:13) 1st 1978 NYC (2:12:12) 1st 1978 Fukuoka (2:12:53) 6th 1979 Boston (2:09:27) 1st AR 1979 Montreal (2:22:12) 15th 1979 NYC (2:11:42) 1st 1980 Boston (2:12:11) 1st 1980 Toronto (2:14:47) 1st 1980 NYC (2:13:20) 5th 1981 Houston-Tennaco (2:12:10) 1st CR 1981 Boston (2:10:34) 3rd 1981 Atlantica-Boavista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2:14:13) 1st CR 1981 Stockholm, Sweden (2:13:28) 1st 1981 Bank One, Columbus, OH (2:17:34) 7th 1982 Houston (2:14:51) 5th 1982 Tokyo (2:24) 301st 1982 Boston (2:12:38) 4th 1982 Atlantica-Boavista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (DNF) 1982 Melbourne, Australia (2:11:08) 1st 1983 Orange Bowl, FL (2:15:08) 1st 1983 Boston (2:11:58) 10th 1983 Beijing, China (DNF) 1983 Chicago (2:21:40) 30th 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials (2:13:31) 8th 1985 New Jersey Waterfront (2:14:46) 2nd 1985 NYC (2:15:33) 7th 1986 Boston (2:13:35) 4th 1986 Chicago (2:15:31) 11th 1987 Phoenix (DNF) 1987 Boston (2:18:18) 15th 1987 NYC (2:25:01) 54th 1988 Phoenix (DNF) 1988 Los Angeles (2:20:27) 2nd masters 1988 Boston (2:18:17) 2nd masters 1988 NYC (DNF) 1989 Los Angeles (2:22:24) 1990 Boston (2:20:46) 5th masters 1992 Vietnam International 19th 1996 Boston (2:53:23) 1999 Boston (DNF) 2009 Boston (4:06:49)

Awards and distinctions 1973 AAU All-American Long Distance Team (20K) 1975 National AAU- DI Benadato Award – Best Athletic Performance 1975 Nominated Sullivan Award (placed second) 1975 Ranked #1 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News 1976 Ranked #6 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News 1976 Member U.S. Olympic Team – Montreal, Canada 1976 AAU All-American Track & Field Team (10K) 1977 Ranked #1 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News 1978 Ranked #2 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News 1979 Ranked #1 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News 1981 Ranked #7 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News 1989 New York Road Runners Club Abebe Bikila Award 1989 Tiffany's Man of Achievement Award 1990 RRCA Masters of the Year Award 1992 RRCA Masters of the Year Award 1994 CT Sports Writers Alliance Gold Key Award 1999 Inducted into Long Distance Running Hall of Fame 2000 Inducted into USA Track and Field Hall of Fame 2025 Inducted into the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Hall of Fame

Personal track records 1 mile – 4:18.8 2 miles – 8:48 (indoor practice); 8:53.6 (1975) 3 miles – 13:25.4 (1976) 5 kilometers – 13:42.00 (1978) 10 kilometers – 28:04.4 (1976) 15 kilometers – 43:39.8 (1977 – American Record) 10 miles – 46:35 20 kilometers – 58:15 (1977 – American Record) 1 hour – 12 mi 1351 yd (20.556 km) (1977 – American Record) 25 kilometers – 1:14:12 (1979 – World and American Record) 30 kilometers – 1:31:50 (1979 – American Record)

Personal road records 10 kilometers: 28:16 (1983) 15 kilometers: 43:25 (1981) 20 kilometers: 58:43 (1982) 25 kilometers: 1:17:23 30 kilometers: 1:29:04 (1976 – Unofficial World Road Record) Marathon (42.195 kilometers): 2:09:27 (1979 – former American record)

Major road race wins Boston Marathon: 4 wins New York City Marathon: 4 wins Fukuoka Marathon: 1 win Amsterdam Marathon: 1 win Houston Marathon: 1 win Melbourne Marathon: 1 win Falmouth Road Race: 3 wins Virginia 10-Miler: 5 wins Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run: 4 wins Boilermaker Road Race 15 km: 1 win Beverly Hills 10 km: 4 wins Azalea Trail 10 km: 4 wins Gurnet Classic Beach Run, Duxbury MA Bloomsday 12 km: 1 win Gasparilla Distance Classic 15 km: 1 win (first yr.) Jacksonville Gate River Run 15 km: 1 win, 1978 Bix 7: 2 wins (incl. first yr.) Big Boy 20 km: 3 wins Toronto Marathon,1 win,1980