91-Year-Old Woman Finishes Marathon

Have you seen that graphic floating around on Facebook that says something along the lines of -I don’t run, so if you see me running you better start running too because something is chasing us? That would be me.

I used to run. A lot. I know that will probably come as a shock since I’m all of 5 feet tall and have short legs, but I was a member of the varsity track team and took home a bunch of race wins. Unfortunately, my athletic days ended abruptly the day my left knee was shattered.

I might not run anymore, but after hearing about Harriette Thompson, I’m thinking I might need to grin through the knee pain and push myself to start running again.

Harriette Thompson is a 91-year-old woman who ran and completed the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday! Harriette ran on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and did so despite having recently undergone radiation treatment. She completed the race in just over seven hours and actually broke the record for her age group.

Harriette says, "It wasn't until around the 17th mile that I was going uphill, and I was thinking, 'Oh, I wonder if I'm gonna make this.' But the last few miles, I didn't mind at all."

What an inspiration, right? And get this, Harriette ran her first marathon at the young age of 76 and says you’re never too old to start running.