91-year-old woman finishes San Diego marathon in record time

By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – A 91-year-old woman ran a San Diego marathon on the weekend in record time for her age group, also becoming the oldest person ever to finish the race, despite lamenting she was unable to train properly because of cancer treatments. Harriette Thompson, who ran her first marathon at age 76, set a U.S. record on Sunday for the fastest finish in her 90-and-over age group, finishing the 26.2-mile Rock’n’Roll San Diego Marathon in seven hours, seven minutes and 42 seconds, according to race organizer Dan Cruz. “I’m pretty active but I didn’t really train for this one because I was treating for skin cancer.” Thompson also became the second oldest person to complete a U.S. marathon and the oldest to finish the San Diego race. The previous speed record in Thompson’s age group was set by Gladys Burrill in 2010, when the then-92-year-old finished the Honolulu marathon in nine hours and 53 minutes, according to Guinness World Records.