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National Running Day And 92-Year-Old Harriette Thompson: Getting Your Run On

By Alanna Vopni

From the archive: published Jun 4, 2015, 11 years ago. Details may have changed since.

Yesterday was National Running Day, a day meant to celebrate lacing up your sneakers and hitting the open road repeatedly with them.

Runners are a strange breed — enduring pre-sunrise runs in the worst kind of weather just to get their fix for the day, sustaining injuries and regular soreness, figuring out where to pee with no toilet anywhere in sight.

To anyone who’s not a runner, this kind of behavior can seem like borderline insanity — blisters popping up anywhere on the feet, band-aids on nipples, potential chafing all over the body, perfecting the snot rocket, deciding whether to listen to music or not, and making the ideal mix. I won’t even get started on the whole pooping question.

Why would anyone submit themselves to such pain and potentially awkward embarrassment, of the bodily function variety, when there are other, more comfortable ways of getting some exercise?

As a life-long runner, all I can tell you is that there’s a love for it. The snug feel of the shoes bouncing off the dirt, dodging greenery, and breathing in the fresh air on a trail through the woods. There really is nothing like it.

But it’s 92-year-old Harriette Thompson who can serve up motivation by the truckload to anyone questioning whether or not they should give running a try.

She’s a two-time cancer survivor who took first place in her age category of 80 and over at the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon on May 31, and became the oldest female marathon finisher ever when she ran across the finish line with a time of 7:24:36.

At 76, when most people are winding down their activities and taking it easy, Harriette, who had only run a block or two previously, decided to run a marathon to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

After the race was over, news crews flocked around her to ask her questions about her race and how she felt now that it was over.

“I feel so good…like I’m on top of the world. I wouldn’t want to do a marathon every day, but I can see a tremendous difference. I just encourage everybody who can get out there and walk to really exercise.”

Take a look at how other people celebrated National Running Day with the best tweets of the day.

Jimmy Fallon questions the enjoyment factor:

President Obama urges you not to go it alone:

Forrest Gump keeps his motivation simple:

Pitch Perfect ‘s Fat Amy invents a new running style:

SAG Indie suggests Tom Cruise should flip the celebration on its head:

So, even though the celebratory day is past, why not throw on your sneakers and go for a run through your neighborhood. See how good it will feel.

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