Yahoo – AFP,
1 June 2015
Harriette
Thompson, 92, and son Brenny Thompson, finish the Suja Rock 'n' Roll
San Diego
Marathon on May 31, 2015 in San Diego, California (AFP Photo/Jerod Harris)
|
San Diego
(AFP) - A 92-year-old US grandmother has become the oldest woman to finish a
marathon, when she crossed the finish line of a San Diego 26-miler on Sunday,
race organizers said.
A smiling
Harriette Thompson, aged 92 years and 65 days, was cheered by dozens of
onlookers and supporters as she completed the Southern California event in
seven hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds.
Speaking to
her hometown newspaper, the Charlotte Observer, Thompson said she felt "a
little stiff" after the race.
"I was
really tired at one point. Around mile 21, I was going up a hill and it was
like a mountain," she told the Observer.
"I was
thinking, 'This is sort of crazy at my age.' But then I felt better coming down
the hill. And my son Brenny kept feeding me all this wonderful carbohydrates
that kept me going."
Harriette
Thompson, 92, participates in the Suja Rock 'n' Roll San Diego
Marathon on May
31, 2015 in San Diego, California (AFP Photo/Jerod Harris)
|
The
previous oldest woman marathon runner was another American, Gladys
"Gladyator" Burrill, who was 92 years and 19 days old when she did
the Honolulu event in 2010.
Thompson
participated in the marathon to raise money for cancer research, a disease she
has herself survived.
The
grandmother to 10 grandkids also completed the race last year with a time of
seven hours, seven minutes and 42 seconds.
The oldest
male marathon runner is Fauja Singh, who was 101 when he retired from racing in
2013.
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