American Harriette Thompson on Sunday became the oldest woman in the world to complete a marathon. At 92, she completed her 42 km in less than eight hours.
There is no age for playing sports! This is what the American Hariette Thompson has just shown us, who on Sunday in San Diego (California) became the oldest woman in the world to complete a marathon.
At 92, she completed her 42.195 km in 7h 24min and 36 seconds. So, even if we are far from the British record holder, Paula Radcliffe, and her 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds, Hariette Thompson was greeted by dozens of spectators and journalists at the finish line. She did not hide her emotion.
Fundraising Against Cancer
“I can’t believe I managed to finish this marathon. At one point, I was really tired. There was a hill in front of me and I felt like I had to climb a mountain. I said to myself: “At your age, it’s still a little crazy”, she reacted with a smile after crossing the finish line.
As for her physical condition, the nonagenarian is doing quite well: “I have a few stiffnesses, but it’s okay”, she confided to the Charlotte Observer, the newspaper for the city of North Carolina where she lives.
In addition, it should be noted that this grandmother of ten grandchildren still holds the world record for the marathon category 90-94 years (since 2014) with a time of 7 h 07 min 42 sec. Despite her training program limited to 17 kilometers, she did not manage to beat her own record: “It does not matter, I am in my 16th marathon and I am happy to have done it” , she concluded.
For Harriette Thompson, the goal is indeed fulfilled since she took to the marathon to raise funds in order to participate in the fight against cancer, a disease to which she has survived twice, but which was right. her husband, her two parents and three of her brothers.
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