Born: 1918, United States (assumed)
Died: 2019
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Gladys Burrill was 86 when she ran her first marathon in 2004. She would go on to complete four more Honolulu Marathons, earning the nickname “Gladyator” and setting a world record for the oldest woman to finish a marathon on December 12, 2010 at age 92 with a time of nine hours, 53 minutes and 16 seconds. Born in 1918, Burrill had survived polio as a child and extreme poverty during the Great Depression. She and her husband built a successful lumber businesses in southern Oregon and were married for almost 70 years until his death in 2008. She was also a pilot who hiked Arizona deserts and climbed Oregon’s Mount Hood before turning her attention to running. She was also known for encouraging other runners. “It’s so important to think positive. It’s easy to get discouraged and be negative,” she told the Associated Press in 2011. “It makes such a difference in how you feel and your outlook on everything.”