Monica Joyce

Monica and her older sister Regina Joyce grew up with their parents in Sussex, England. She was winning cross country races as early as age 11. Both sisters originally competed for England as junior athletes but switched to Ireland in 1982, based on the citizenship of their parents, for competitive reasons.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Before embarking on her international career, she competed for San Diego State University for two and a half years, finishing second in the 1500 metres at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1981. She married her college coach Fred La Plante, who continued to coach her.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-30-sp-7728-story.html|title=Fire Blazes Again in Star Distance Runner : Apathy Vanishes and Monica Joyce Gallops Toward Seoul Olympics|date=June 30, 1988|website=Los Angeles Times}}

Monica won the British WAAA Championships title in the 5,000 metres event at the 1982 WAAA Championships{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19820801/583/0027 |title=It's agony for Sonia |work=Sunday Express |date=1 August 1982 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=15 March 2025}} and represented Ireland at the 1982 European Athletics Championships, the 1983 World Championship and the 1984 World Cross Country Championships.

Both sisters represented Ireland in the 1984 Summer Olympics, Regina in the Marathon and Monica in the 3000 meters.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/71479 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=15 March 2025}}

Monica ran in the 1985 World Cross Country Championships, finishing 12th and the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships finishing 8th and won the British WAAA title at the 1985 WAAA Championships.{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=15 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=15 March 2025 }}

At home she was the Irish National Champion in the 1500 metres in 1982, 1983 and 1988 with Sonia O'Sullivan a main competitor.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/irl.htm|title=Irish Republic Championships|website=www.gbrathletics.com}}

She became a United States citizen in 2000.[https://web.archive.org/web/20121017023151/http://www.runningusa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.monica-joyce http://www.runningusa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=pages.monica-joyce] She has continued running into masters age divisions, in 2002 she won the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K outright at age 43.{{Cite web|url=https://arrs.run/HP_Gas15.htm|title=untitled|website=arrs.run}} At age 50, she beat the W50 World Record in the 5,000 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays, running 16:19.51. That year she also added the 15K road running W50 world record, running 52:38 at the Gate River Run. She also added American records in the 5K, 8K and 10K, the latter for a second time with a 30-second improvement.

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Category:1958 births

Category:Living people

Category:Irish female long-distance runners

Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Ireland

Category:Olympic athletes for Ireland

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:World record holders in masters athletics

Category:San Diego State Aztecs women's track and field athletes

Category:20th-century Irish sportswomen

Category:English female long-distance runners

Category:American female long-distance runners