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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bernardine Judith Coleman |
| Born | (1949-08-26)26 August 1949 Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
| Died | 1 February 2017(2017-02-01) (aged 67) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Athletics |
Bernardine Judith Portenski (née Coleman, 26 August 1949 – 1 February 2017), commonly known as Bernie Portenski, was a New Zealand long-distance runner. She set numerous age-group world records, and competed at events ranging from 800 metrestomarathon.
Portenski took up running at the age of 30, and discovered a liking for long-distance events. She ran 114 marathons, including competing at the annual Rotorua Marathon on 33 occasions. In 1992 she qualified for the Olympics, but was deemed too old by the New Zealand Olympic selectors and was not added to the team.[1]
Portenski was born in Lower Hutt on 26 August 1949, the daughter of Mary Coleman (née Caroll) and John Coleman, and educated at Sacred Heart College.[2] When not running, Portenski ran a hairdressing salon in the Wellington suburb of Miramar. She was married to Peter Horan, and had one daughter and one stepson. Portenski was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May 2016.[3]
Portenski died in Wellington on 1 February 2017 at the age of 67 from the ovarian cancer with which she had been diagnosed the previous year.[4]
Portenski recorded the following times, titles, and records:
In 1994 and 1998, Portenski was named Wellington sports personality of the year.[2] Also in 1998, she was named Wellingtonian of the Year, Kapiti Coast sports personality of the year, and New Zealand veteran athlete of the year.[2]
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New Zealand national champions in women's marathon
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