There are people who dream and people who do. Harriette Thompson fell into the latter group.

Beating the Odds

The nonagenarian was a force of nature. A former concert pianist, she performed at Carnegie Hall three times. She knew what it took to dedicate herself to a craft — the endless hours of practice, hard work, and sheer determination it took to get the job done.

She was a survivor. Diagnosed with cancer of the palate in 1987, she beat the disease. She later faced a second cancer diagnosis, this one of the skin, requiring a slew of radiation treatments.

Don’t think this stopped her from taking regular exercise classes and walking up to 4 miles daily. Instead of focusing on her illness, Harriette used her time and energy to do something more courageous. She ran races for charity. Specifically, she ran to fight leukemia and lymphoma.

Running for a Cause, Not Applause

In 1999, Harriette found herself at the starting line of the San Diego Rock N’ Roll Marathon. At 76 years old, that would be her first marathon (!!!), and she did it on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. At first, she thought she would “walk” a marathon for charity, but in true Harriette fashion, her enthusiasm took over. She would run 15 marathons between 1999 and 2015.

That last one was a world record breaker. At 92 years old, not only was she the oldest woman to ever complete a marathon, she finished the marathon in 7 hours, 7 minutes, and 42 seconds, shattering the world record time for a woman 90 years or older. The old record? It was set by Gladys “Gladyator” Burrill at the 2010 Honolulu Marathon at 9 hours, 53 minutes, and 16 seconds.

Not only did Harriette break the world record by more than 2 hours and 45 minutes, she did it after undergoing radiation treatment for her cancer just 4 weeks before the race.

Although she stopped running marathons, she still put on those running shoes at 94 years old. On June 4, 2017 she was the oldest woman to complete a half marathon. She finished the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in 3 hours, 42 minutes, and 56 seconds. Over the years, she raised more than $115,000 for her charity.

It’s Never Too Late to Start

Harriette Thompson was a true inspiration. She found something she enjoyed in life, and she used that enthusiasm to better herself and the lives of others. Through sheer fortitude and grit, she took life one mile at a time, and let’s face it, more likely than not, she outran many people you know.

It goes to show that age is just a number. What you can achieve is not limited by your birth year or even your health in many cases. What drives us is the mental stamina to get things done. It is a mindset that you can accomplish anything, that you can reach your goals, step by precious step.

What we need to do is take advantage of our talents and live life to the fullest.

Harriette Thompson passed away on October 16, 2017. She will be missed.