Anni Pede-Erdkamp
German long-distance runner (1940–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anni Pede-Erdkamp (14 January 1940 – 9 October 2025) was a West German long-distance runner who was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best in the marathon on 16 September 1967, with a time of 3:07:27 in Waldniel, West Germany.[1] [nb 1]
Biography
Pede and Monika Boers were asked by Ernst van Aaken, an early proponent of women's running, to participate in a race organized by his running club.[5] According to German sports historian Karl Lennartz, journalists skeptical of 13-year-old Maureen Wilton's recent world best in Toronto, Canada asked van Aaken if women and teenagers were capable of such a performance.[5] Mocked and derided for claiming that faster times were indeed possible, van Aaken chose Pede, a middle-distance runner and mother of two, and Boers, a 19-year-old from the Netherlands, to prove himself correct.[5][nb 2] Although the German Athletic Association (Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband) did not yet officially permit women to run, race officials did allow the two women to start 30 meters behind the men.[5] Pede's mark was good enough for third overall and Boers finished in 3:19:36.3.[5] [nb 3]
Pede-Erdkamp died on 9 October 2025, at the age of 85.[7]
