Jane Welzel (born April 24, 1955, d. Aug. 31, 2014) was a pioneering long-distance runner who advocated for women to be added to the sport.

[5][6] Welzel grew up in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the city that hosts the start of the Boston Marathon.

However, a problem with the pool facilities canceled practices during one season, and Welzel tried training with the nascent college cross country team.

She won her first race and decided to stick with the sport, where she competed with many other pioneering female runners such as Joan Benoit.

She survived, but spend several weeks strapped to a specialized bed that limited movement before being put into a full-body plaster cast for two months.

Welzel went out faster than local favorite Janice Ettle, then caught Minnesotan Janis Klecker at the halfway mark.

[8][15] She raced to 6th place against international competition in the 1990 Berlin Marathon, in which she outran East Germans such as Birgit Jerschabek.

Welzel's father Hank, who had escaped Berlin in the late 1940s, returned to the city for the first time to see his daughter's race.

[18] In the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, Welzel lined up in the morning heat and humidity, bracing for a hot race that went to the middle of the day.

As her U.S. teammate Kimberly Rosenquist-Jones led athletes in the first laps inside the German "Neckarstadium," Welzel tucked into the pack.

[19][20] Welzel trained for the U.S. National Championship 25K, which brought her to Grand Rapids, Michigan's Old Kent River Bank Run.

The race featured many of the fastest in the U.S., and Alfredo Vigueras (who had just gained citizenship), was eyeing the men's championship.

[6] Jane Welzel grew up around marathon culture in the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, with her four siblings.

Welzel was a professional counselor, specializing in eating disorders, couples counseling, personal growth, and sports psychology.

[3] After studying at, competing for, and coaching in the University of Massachusetts, Welzel was inducted to their Hall of Fame.