Julie Brown

Julie Ann Brown (born February 4, 1955) is a retired distance runner. She won the IAAF World Cross Country Championship in 1975 and represented the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics in the women's marathon.

Brown set the American women's marathon record at the Nike OTC Marathon in 1978.

Brown concentrated on track and cross-country running prior to the Olympic trials but a victory in the Avon Women's Marathon in 1983 convinced her that she could qualify for the Olympic marathon team. She ran a conservative race staying in the pack until the midway point and broke away finishing second, 37 seconds behind the Olympic trials winner, Joan Benoit Samuelson. She broke the 10,000 metres world record setting a time of 35:00.4 minutes in 1975.

After her track career, Brown received her J.D. from Western State University and, joined a law firm as an attorney. In 1995 Brown, opened a law practice in San Diego, CA She competed in the 880-yard run winning the state championship for three years in a row starting in 1970. She still holds the All-State record with an 880-yard time of 2:11.0. As a college athlete she won Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national championships in the 800 meters, 1500 meters, 3000 meters, and cross-country. Brown recalls how her UCLA cross country coach mistreated her and because of the environment at UCLA she decided to transfer to CSUN. She won the race in a time of 13:42, five seconds ahead of Bronisława Ludwichowska from Poland.

At the 1979 Pan American Games, Brown won three silver medals, taking second place in the 800 meters, 1500 meters, and 3000 meters.

After graduating from CSUN, Brown moved to San Diego to train for the 1980 Olympics. She was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal instead.

She entered the marathon at the inaugural 1983 World Championships in Athletics, but failed to finish the competition.

Brown was sponsored by Adidas who set her up with coach Bill Dellinger and moved her from California to Eugene, Oregon in 1983 so she could focus on the marathon distance. Julie Brown trained on President Reagan's Santa Barbara, California ranch prior to 1984 Olympic Games to adjust to the heat and humidity of 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.