Jean Driscoll
Home: Champaign, Ill.
Age: 33
Classification: T4
Personal best: 1:34:22 (Boston, 1994)

After winning seven consecutive Boston Marathons (1990-1996), Driscoll has endured a pair of bizarre second-place finishes over the past two years.

A year ago, Louise Sauvage passed her at the line, and the duo was credited with the same time (1:41:19). In 1997, she was just behind Sauvage entering Cleveland Circle when her chair overturned after her wheel collided with the streetcar track at Chestnut Hill Avenue. Following a hasty repair, she finished second in 2:01:15.

Her most recent Boston title came in the historic 100th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996 (1:52:26), and her winning time in 1995 (1:40:42) was more than seven minutes faster than runner-up Deanna Sodoma. Each of her first five victories was registered in a world-best time, culminating with the 1994 race that stands as the current world best (1:34:22). The 1994 performance is even more remarkable since she was sidelined by a bout of food poisoning during race weekend.

Throughout her career, Driscoll has enjoyed similar success at a number of marathons. She established a course record en route to the 196 City of Los Angeles marathon title (1:46:09) and placed second by three-tenths of a second to Sauvage at the 1998 Sempach International Marathon (1:48:51; Switzerland). Also in 1998, she won the Old Kent River Bank Run 25K (1:07:05; Michigan) and placed second in the Peachtree 10K (25:26; Atlanta). Driscoll turned in an impressive showing at the 1996 Paralympic Games, where she won the marathon (1:52:54), the 10,000 meters (24:21:64), finished second in the 5,000 meters 912:40:80) and the 800 meters (1:55:19) and was third in the 1,500 meters (3:30:83).