Harriette Thompson ran her first marathon at the ripe old age of 76, and has set a US record on Sunday for the fastest finish in her 90 and over age group. The bright and bubbly grandmother finished the 42 km Rock’n’Roll San Diego marathon in seven hours, seven minutes and 42 seconds, according to race organizer Dan Cruz.
“I’m elated,” the North Carolina resident told Reuters on Monday. “I’m pretty active but I didn’t really train for this one because I was treating for skin cancer.”
On the same day, Thompson also became the second oldest person to finish a marathon in the country and the oldest to finish the San Diego race. She ousted previous record holder Gladys Burrill who completed the Honolulu marathon in nine hours and 53 minutes in 2010 at age 92, according to Guinness World Records.
Thompson told Reuters she hopes to do it all again next year.
“I’ll be back next year if I’m still here at all,” she said. “But I’m definitely going to train next year. This is the only time I ever attempted to do the race without training, and I sure am feeling it today.”
