Helen Klein, 82, runs Grandma's in 4:57:20!
Courage colors women's careers
BY KEVIN PATES
DULUTH (MN) NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, June 17, 2005
(Houston Running note: Klein ran with Bib No. 82. No word on whether or not she is a grandmother herself!)
Set a world record and you're a celebrity.
Helen Klein of Rancho Cordova, Calif., found that out in 2002 when she became the fastest 80-year-old woman marathoner in history.
Although she's in demand now, she's accommodating.
Klein, 82, says if she gets an invitation to a race, she runs, which includes Saturday's 29th
Grandma's Marathon.
Her inspirational story is equal to the one Marla Runyan will tell at 3 p.m. today as a marathon guest speaker at the DECC's Edmund Fitzgerald Hall.
Runyan, 36, from Eugene, Ore., was diagnosed with a form of macular degeneration that left her legally blind at age 9. Yet, she found she was able to compete in track and field, and has been on two U.S. Olympic teams. She has a marathon best of 2 hours, 27 minutes, 10 seconds.
Klein and Runyan have received ESPN Arete Awards for courage.
"As a girl I played jacks, and knitted and sewed. Girls did not sweat," said Klein, a great-grandmother who grew up in Pennsylvania and was an emergency room nurse for 14 years. "I didn't do anything athletically as an adult, except walking on my lunch hour.
"I got challenged to try running when I was 55 and I have a great desire to finish what I start."
MARATHON RECORD
Running 4:31:32 in the 2002 California International Marathon in Sacramento, breaking a world record by nearly 39 minutes at age 80, brought Klein fame.
But the unassuming runner couldn't understand why a 26.2-mile time was so lauded even though she'd completed many ultramarathons, including five 100-mile trail races within 16 weeks at age 66.
Grandma's Marathon will be her 73rd marathon. She has run 132 races longer than a marathon. She has no age-group peers.
"I'm not really competitive. I run relaxed and I finish before the official clock is shut off," Klein said. "I'm very disciplined about my running and I'm a voracious reader about health and running."
Because of her age and durability, Klein has been the subject of many tests by a number of physicians.
One piece of advice she has taken was from Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, who suggested a daily antioxidant multivitamin.
"I have no health problems, no arthritis, no joint problems. Nothing," said Klein, who is 5-foot-5 and 109 pounds, and has raised four children. "I'm serious about staying healthy, and your lifestyle has more to do with that than good genes."
While Klein has run in 32 states, and every continent but Antarctica, she is seeking something new. She and her husband, Norm, 67, a retired oral surgeon and runner, are planning a volunteer humanitarian trip to Ethiopia this year.
Helen, accompanied by Norm, will first be in Duluth for her first Minnesota marathon.
It's believed that no 80-year-old woman has completed Grandma's Marathon and that has led to some statistical changes for the race. Age-group records, which had a ceiling at 70-and-older, will now be 70-74, 75-79, 80-84 and 85-90.
BY KEVIN PATES
DULUTH (MN) NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Friday, June 17, 2005
(Houston Running note: Klein ran with Bib No. 82. No word on whether or not she is a grandmother herself!)
Set a world record and you're a celebrity.
Helen Klein of Rancho Cordova, Calif., found that out in 2002 when she became the fastest 80-year-old woman marathoner in history.
Although she's in demand now, she's accommodating.
Klein, 82, says if she gets an invitation to a race, she runs, which includes Saturday's 29th
Grandma's Marathon.
Her inspirational story is equal to the one Marla Runyan will tell at 3 p.m. today as a marathon guest speaker at the DECC's Edmund Fitzgerald Hall.
Runyan, 36, from Eugene, Ore., was diagnosed with a form of macular degeneration that left her legally blind at age 9. Yet, she found she was able to compete in track and field, and has been on two U.S. Olympic teams. She has a marathon best of 2 hours, 27 minutes, 10 seconds.
Klein and Runyan have received ESPN Arete Awards for courage.
"As a girl I played jacks, and knitted and sewed. Girls did not sweat," said Klein, a great-grandmother who grew up in Pennsylvania and was an emergency room nurse for 14 years. "I didn't do anything athletically as an adult, except walking on my lunch hour.
"I got challenged to try running when I was 55 and I have a great desire to finish what I start."
MARATHON RECORD
Running 4:31:32 in the 2002 California International Marathon in Sacramento, breaking a world record by nearly 39 minutes at age 80, brought Klein fame.
But the unassuming runner couldn't understand why a 26.2-mile time was so lauded even though she'd completed many ultramarathons, including five 100-mile trail races within 16 weeks at age 66.
Grandma's Marathon will be her 73rd marathon. She has run 132 races longer than a marathon. She has no age-group peers.
"I'm not really competitive. I run relaxed and I finish before the official clock is shut off," Klein said. "I'm very disciplined about my running and I'm a voracious reader about health and running."
Because of her age and durability, Klein has been the subject of many tests by a number of physicians.
One piece of advice she has taken was from Dr. Kenneth Cooper of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, who suggested a daily antioxidant multivitamin.
"I have no health problems, no arthritis, no joint problems. Nothing," said Klein, who is 5-foot-5 and 109 pounds, and has raised four children. "I'm serious about staying healthy, and your lifestyle has more to do with that than good genes."
While Klein has run in 32 states, and every continent but Antarctica, she is seeking something new. She and her husband, Norm, 67, a retired oral surgeon and runner, are planning a volunteer humanitarian trip to Ethiopia this year.
Helen, accompanied by Norm, will first be in Duluth for her first Minnesota marathon.
It's believed that no 80-year-old woman has completed Grandma's Marathon and that has led to some statistical changes for the race. Age-group records, which had a ceiling at 70-and-older, will now be 70-74, 75-79, 80-84 and 85-90.
posted by WalkSports.com | 2:20 PM
1 Comments:
rock on!! now that is just plain AWESOME!!!!!
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