Martha Benjamin (b. 1935)

Martha Benjamin was born in Old Crow. In 1962, Benjamin was helping Father Mouchet with young Old Crow cross country skiers at races in Fairbanks when she decided to enter one of the races. She was twenty-five and a mother of five. She had only been on skis a couple of times, but she left her competition in the dust.((John Firth, //Yukon Sport. An Illustrated Encyclopedia.// Sport Yukon, 2014: 159.)) Martha won the 10k race in Midland, Ontario with a time of 43.29 minutes and was named the senior Canadian woman’s cross-country champion.((1989, Mattha Benjamin (Cross Country Skiing), 2019 website: https://sportyukon.com/programs/hall-of-fame/1989-martha-benjamin-cross-country-skiing/)) In 1964, Benjamin was invited to attend the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. There was no financial support, and Benjamin would have had to finance her training, travel, plus cover babysitting for her children while she was away. She reluctantly withdrew from the team and never raced again. In 2010, she was the torch bearer in Old Crow for the Vancouver Olympics torch relay.((John Firth, //Yukon Sport. An Illustrated Encyclopaedia.// Sport Yukon, 2014: 160-61.))

In 1989, Marth Benjamin was inducted into the Yukon Sports Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as a cross country skiing athlete.((1989, Martha Benjamin (Cross Country Skiing), 2019 website: https://sportyukon.com/programs/hall-of-fame/1989-martha-benjamin-cross-country-skiing/)) Benjamin was a national cross-country skiing champion, a member of the Canadian Rangers, and an active member of the community for many years. In March 2002, she was presented with the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award. She was nominated for her lifelong service in Old Crow.(("Old Crow resident honoured for service." //Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 14 March 2003.))