Mildred "Millie" Sampson (born 14 February 1933) is a former New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 long-distance runner who is recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations

International Association of Athletics Federations

The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...

 as having set a world best in the marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 on 21 July 1964, with a time of 3:19:33 in Auckland, New Zealand. Sampson was reportedly encouraged to enter the marathon at the Owairaka

Owairaka

 - to the north-east  - to the east  - to the south-east  - to the south-west  - to the west  - to the north-west | Mount Albert Morningside Sandringham Wesley New Windsor...

 club by the men she trained with, including Olympians

Olympians

Olympians may refer to any of the following:*The Olympians of Ancient Greek mythology*Those who have competed in the Olympic Games*Citizens of the ancient Greek city-state of Olympia*Citizens of Olympia, Washington*The Olympians of Marvel Comics...

 Bill Baillie

Bill Baillie

William David Baillie was a runner, who represented New Zealand at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he placed 6th in the 5000 m. He also competed at the 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966 Commonwealth Games. He is the current national record holder over 20000 m and 1 hour.-Personal...

 and Ivan Keats. According to Sampson, Keats believed her participation would attract attention to the marathon and his running club which was organizing the event. Sampson, reported as having been fatigued due to dancing the previous night and having had no breakfast the morning of the race, ate ice cream and chocolate during the last few miles of the race. Reports after the race described her as a mother, which was untrue.

In the only other marathon that Sampson ever ran, her 3:13:58 in Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

 on 9 May 1970 was good enough for the sixth best woman's time in the world that year. She is a three-time national champion in cross country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

 (1966, 1968, 1972) and won unofficial national titles in the event from 1963 to 1965.

As of 2008, Sampson worked at a drycleaners.