Feeling too old to keep running? Feeling too old to start running? Think again. Meet Joy Johnson. You see, Joy's an 82-year-old marathoner who didn't start running until her 50s. She runs 3 marathons a year. I don't know Joy, but she's my hero, inspiration, and aspiration. At age 81, Joy wasn't happy with her previous marathon time, so she decided to train harder. Check out the clip below to see what she did to prepare for the 2008 NYC Marathon. (FYI: takes a moment for the clip to start.)
Here's another brief clip of Joy in 2009 after completing her 22nd consecutive running of the NYC Marathon!
Many of you may have already seen these clips of Joy and her amazing running accomplishments late in life, but since many of you (including myself) are just beginning your training for your upcoming fall 2010 marathons, I thought it was the perfect time to share some Joy.
Watching and reading about Joy makes me happy. Thank you so much for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteWow seriously impressive. People in their 20's don't put in that much effort.
ReplyDeleteHi Heather and Boris! The very first time I ran NYC back in '97 the oldest competitor was 95! He was running it with his son (in his 70s) and his grandson (in his 40s). He ran it in 5.5hrs! I definitely want to be as active as Joy and the 95-yr-old runner when I'm their age!!
ReplyDeletePut a smile on my face. Reminds me of a quote from the Born to Run book.... "You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running".
ReplyDeleteWatching this takes away some of the panic I'm feeling about the aging process. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThad, thank you so much for sharing this post. I have tremendous respect for Joy, as I wish she was my Grandma, so she could coach me. What a great inspiration to all of us that think we are too old to be doing this. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris!
ReplyDeleteI love that quote!
Hi Cynthia! My kids love to count the gray hairs popping up on my head. They tease me about being "old." I tell them those aren't old-age gray hairs....they're fatherhood gray hairs. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Kenley!
ReplyDeleteThere's a man in his 70s in my neighborhood that runs every single morning. He's no speed demon, but he's out there every single day. Maybe he's Joy's little brother.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteShe is an amazing woman with a great spirit! Thanks for sharing that video!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this! I hope I can be like her when I grow up! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! She is so inspiring. I want to be still running at her age!
ReplyDeleteSo happy you posted this.
ReplyDeleteJoy brought me Joy this morning for sure.
Awesome.
As a 40 year old pregnant mom who STILL believes that she has some PRs left in her . . . I LOVE hearing about people like Joy! Thanks!
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