Cancer survivor, 92, becomes the oldest woman to finish a marathon

Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina, secured a spot in the record books on Sunday when she completed the Rock n' Roll Marathon in San Diego, becoming the oldest woman to do so.

She's 92 years old.

She completed the 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) in 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds, according to Competitor. 

The mother-of-five, who has been running marathons since the age of 76, said that while running the events have grown increasingly harder, this year has been especially bad for her.

The two-time cancer survivor dealt with the loss of her husband and a staph infection in one of her legs while training for this year's race. 

She was bombarded with congratulations when she crossed the finish line as confetti rained down on her.

She said it feels amazing to be a record holder. 

'I just can't get over it and it's nice to know,' she said of the new record. 'But I wasn't really interested in making, breaking any records. I was just interested in raising money.'

Thompson runs to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Washington Post reports, and has raised more than $100,000 for the society.  

Thompson said that although she got tired of hearing her name repeatedly, the attention was nice. 

Everyone wanted to take selfies with her, she said. 

Last year she set a record when she finished the race in 7 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds, beating the previous record for a woman 90 or older by more than an hour and a half. 

The oldest woman to complete a marathon was Gladys Burrill, who was 92 years and 19 days old when she finished the 2010 Honolulu Marathon.

Thompson is 92 years and 65 days old, according to race organizers.

Since 1999, the 92-year-old has only missed one race when she underwent treatment for cancer in 2013, according to RW.

Thompson has lost many friends and family members to cancer. This, she told RW, makes running 'personal' for her.

Not only is Thompson a record-setting runner, she is a classically trained pianist who has played at Carnegie Hall three times.

She says she mentally plays old pieces she performed to help get her through the event. 

In 2014, she and her late husband, Sydnor, re-enacted the V-J Day in Times Square photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt to mark the 69th anniversary of the end of World War II. 

'I just don't think of myself being that unusual,' she said. 'I have a lot of people saying what an inspiration I am. That's nice to hear, good for something at this age.' 

Thompson said she has no idea when she'll stop marathoning, adding that she was surprised that she finished Sunday's event.

She began running in 1999 after a member of her church approached her about being a sponsor in the marathon to raise money to fight leukemia and lymphoma. She decided she would run too.  

 

(dailymail.co.uk)