Liane Winter (June 24, 1942 – January 17, 2021) was a former West German long-distance runner, who was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as having set a world best at the Boston Marathon on April 21, 1975 with a time of 2:42:24.
[1][nb 1] Winter, the first woman from outside the United States to win Boston, only briefly held the mark as her countrywoman, Christa Vahlensieck, turned in a 2:40:16 performance in Dülmen twelve days later.
[5] Running as much as 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) on a Saturday or Sunday, Winter trained by Ernst van Aaken's method of building endurance.
[6][7] On May 5, 1974 in Wolfsburg, West Germany, Winter ran a marathon in 2:57:44.4 to set the fastest mark for German women.
[6][7] Christa Vahlensieck and Chantal Langlacé caught up to her after she took an early lead on the four-lap course, however, Winter crossed the finish line first in a time of 2:50:31.4 to earn a European record and lowered the national mark she set a little over four months earlier.