92-Year-Old Cancer Survivor is Oldest Woman to Finish Marathon! See Her Record Here
- comments
A 92-year-old woman was hailed as the oldest woman to finish a marathon after she crossed the finish line on Sunday's San Diego competition.
Harriette Thompson from Charlotte, NC finished Sunday's San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon with a record of 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds.
"I'm just going to walk real fast and then run some, and just try not to wear myself down too fast. It'll be sort of interesting. I'll be the most surprised person if I finish it. I hope I will!" she said, according to USA Today Sports.
She ran together with her 56-year-old son, Brenny, in support of the advocacy of the organizers from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has raised over $100,000 for the cause and is reportedly the oldest woman to run 26.2 miles, the Washington Post reports.
The San Diego marathon is an annual event that started 16 years ago.
"I heard about the race when I was 76," Thompson said. "A friend of mine was going to walk it, so I thought, 'Well I can do that,' and I got into it."
She only missed one race in 2013 as she was battling cancer at the time.
Thompson tells Runner's World that running the marathon is "personal" and "something that I really feel is important."
Thompson is a cancer survivor. Many of her relatives and friends have died of the disease. Her husband of 67 years, Sydnor Thompson, succumbed to cancer in January.
This marathon was the hardest for Thompson because of her husband's passing. She has also developed staph infection on a leg.
"I couldn't train very well because my husband was very ill and I had to be with him for some time and then when he died in January I had some treatments on my leg," she said, according to Chicago Tribune. "I was just really thrilled that I could finish today."
"I keep thinking, 'I don't deserve this [attention],' but if it helps or if it encourages anybody, it makes me feel good," Thompson said.
"I think if I can do it, anybody can do it, because I wasn't trained to be a runner. But I have also found that it's very invigorating. I feel like a million dollars when I'm finished," she added.
Thompson beat the previous record by more than an hour; it was previously held by Gladys Burrill, according to Inquisitr.
Thompson said that she enjoys running and raising the money needed for cancer research. The competitions she's been part of have also helped her to stay in good shape.
"I don't think I'd be living today if I didn't do this running," Thompson said. "I'm helping them and they're kind of helping me."