Loretta
Claiborne's
Athletic Achievements
Special Olympics participant since 1970
In 1981, was the first Special Olympics athlete to run the Boston Marathon - her time, 3:09
Has run in over 25 marathons with a best time of 3:03 in the 1982 Boston Marathon
In 1988, was one of the top 25 female finishers of the Pittsburgh Marathon
Has competed in over 100 local and state Special Olympic events in Pennsylvania
Earned a black belt in karate
Has competed in 6 Special Olympic World Games and won the following medals: gold medal in the mile (‘83); gold medal in half-marathon; silver medal in the 5,000-meter run(‘91); two gold medals in bowling (‘95); gold medal half-marathon and silver 3,000-meter run (‘99), gold medal 3000m and bronze in the 1500m (‘03), and silver in figure skating (‘05)
Continues to train in Special Olympics York County, Pennsylvania in the following sports: Athletics, figure skating, soccer, alpine skiing, basketball, golf, softball, aquatics, and bowling
Loretta Claiborne's Awards and Recognition
1996 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPY Awards
Member of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Pennsylvania and former board member of Special Olympics, Inc.
1981 Spirit of Special Olympics Award from Vice President George Bush
1988 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Female Athlete of the Year
1990 Special Olympics, Inc. Athlete of the Year
In 1991, honored as the “Special Olympics Athlete of the Quarter Century” by Runner’s World magazine
Member of Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame (‘96), National Girls and Women in Sports Hall of Fame(‘93) , York Hall of Fame (‘92), and York County, PA’s William Penn High School Alumni Hall of Fame (‘92)
Subject of the full-length Disney movie The Loretta Claiborne
Story that debuted January 16, 2000 on ABC-TV, with multiple continued airings on Lifetime and PAX
1995 Honorary Doctorate Degree from Quinnipiac College - first Special Olympics athlete to receive such an award
1997 Giant Steps Award recipient Northeastern University Center for Sports in Society
Inducted into the Women in Sports Hall of Fame, December, 2000
Named to the Partnership Board of Special Olympics, Inc. and Sesame Street/CTWorkshop
Addressed the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on “Disparities in Health Care for the Mentally Disabled,” Anchorage, AK, March 2001
The Loretta Claiborne Building, a medical and educational facility in York, PA, was dedicated in April, 2001 and named in her honor by the community
Bestowed an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, Villanova University, May, 2003
Billy Jean King Pioneer Award, New England Women's Fund, November, 2004
Loretta
Claiborne's Media and
Motivational Speaking Experience
Spoke before the U.S. Congress as well as hundreds of other groups and organizations
Introduced President Bill Clinton at the 1995 Special Olympics World Games
Appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1998 to promote Special Olympics’ 30th Anniversary, and again in 2000 to promote her movie
Featured on ESPN, Nickelodeon, “CBS This Morning,” and ABC’s “Wide World of Sports”
Interviewed by and featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, and numerous other newspapers and magazines
Accompanied Arnold Schwarzenegger to light the Flame of Hope in Capetown, South
Africa (July, 2001) and launch a campaign to increase the number of athletes in South Africa
that was co-chaired by Nelson Mandela and Timothy Shriver
Interviewed by Derek Watts for Carte Blanche, a South African news and documentary program viewed in Europe, Asia and Africa, July, 2001
Featured in the Lifetime Television series “Real Women,” 2001-2002
Filmed a special video about Special Olympics with Big Bird and Maria on Sesame Street
Testified at the Special Senate Hearing on Health Care for the Disabled, Anchorage,
AK, March
2001
Introduced B.B. King and spoke at the White House “A Very Special Evening with Special Olympics” as a guest of President and Mrs. George W. Bush, Christmas Dinner event, December, 2001
Invited to the World Bank Conference as a speaker for the Kennedy Foundation, to bring attention to the state of Health Care for the Disabled Worldwide/US, May, 2002
Guest of Surgeon-General David Satcher at the Capitol Hill Senate Hearing, presenting Health Care of Persons with Mental Disabilities, Washington DC, May, 2002
Attended Global Athlete Congress planning session for World Games 2003 initiatives for Athlete Leadership Programs, Dublin, Ireland, July, 2002
Welcomed Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis professional, as a new spokesperson for Special Olympics and the
Importance of Inclusion in Sport at a US Open Tennis Championship Event, New York City,
August,
2002
Helped launch the Special Olympics - Get Into It! program with Secretary of Education Rod Paige, September, 2002
Attended and acted as Keynote Speaker for the International Torch Run Conference, a meeting of law enforcement officers from throughout the world dedicated to Special Olympics Torch Run, Honolulu, HI, November, 2002
Spoke at the Early Intervention Conference, Special Education Department of Texas, Lubbock, TX, April, 2003
Spoke in Richmond, VA, to launch “Urban Athlete Programs for Special Olympics,” April, 2003
Returned to South Africa as a guest of Nelson Mandela, accompanied by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, to attend Childrens' Sports Event, Johannesburg, South Africa, July, 2002
Rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to launch the
“Invest in a Life” campaign for Special Olympics, NYC, April,
2003
Spoke at Commencement Ceremonies, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, May 2003
Appeared on “Visions” - a community news program, ABC affiliate, Philadelphia, PA, May, 2003
Prescott, Arizona Keynote Address, State Torch Run Annual Conference, January, 2004
Wells, Maine Keynote Address, New England Torch Run Annual Conference, March, 2004
Christie’s Auction House Fund Raising 2005 World Winter Games, New York City, April, 2004
Capitol Hill Congressional office visits promoting awareness of the 2005 World Winter Games, Nagano, Japan, May, 2004
Motivated Harley-Davidson Motorcycle dealers to “Go Full Throttle!” at the annual Harley Davidson University Winter Conference, Kissimmee,
FL, January, 2004
New Zealand - US Embassy Wellington address and Keynote Address Special Olympics and New Zealand's 21st Anniversary Celebration, TV, radio and news interviews, June, 2004
Manassas, VA, Prince William County Public Schools, Keynote speaker, “Multicultural Awareness” Statewide School District Conference, June, 2004
Atlanta, GA, Keynote Speaker, NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, February, 2005
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, New Zealand-SONZ Events and book tour
for In Her
Stride, a WorldScapes biography for Grades 3-6, April, 2005
San Antonio, TX, Presentation at the International Reading Teachers Conference; with additional appearances on local TV: KENS-News and Bridget’s Beat, May, 2005, to launch the US version of the biographical children’s book, In Her Stride
Panama City, Panama - Attended and Chaired SO Global Athlete Congress, June, 2005
Anchorage, AK - Attended SOAK Summer Games/ALPS Conference, June, 2005
New York, NY - Appeared on Christopher 2005 Closeup Television program, August, 2005
Minneapolis, MN - Keynote Speaker at International Torch Run Conference, October,
2005
Student Lectures and School Assemblies all over the USA on topics including Overcoming Obstacles, Tolerance, Setting and Achieving Goals, Kids and Bullying, Living with Challenges, Courage, The Opportunities Gained through Sports, and many
more
.