100-Year-Old Runner Sets World Record

1 minute read
Ida Keeling (age 100) runs in the mixed masters age 80 and over 100m during the 122nd Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2016.
Ida Keeling (age 100) runs in the mixed masters age 80 and over 100m during the 122nd Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2016.Kirby Lee—USA Today Sports
By Olivia B. Waxman

A 100-year-old female runner set a new world record in the 100-meter dash in Philadelphia on Saturday, according to the event’s organizer Penn Relays.

New Yorker Ida Keeling boasted a time of 1:17:33 in a race against others who were over 80 years old.

“I’m a nice example of what you can do with yourself,” she said, according to the Penn Relays website.

Keeling has also held the record for fastest time in the 60-meter dash for U.S. women ages 90-95.

Earlier this month, The New York Times profiled the 4-foot-6, 83-pound runner, who took up the sport to help her cope with the death of her two sons. Her daughter, a track and field coach, has helped her train in the Bronx, as shown in the clip below:

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Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com