94-year-old Harriette Thompson becomes the oldest woman to run a half-marathon

This year, the goal for Harriette Thompson was to become the oldest woman to complete a half-marathon, two years after she became the oldest woman to finish a marathon in San Diego.

She’s 94 — and she did it. She really did it, cranking out the 13.1 miles at a pace of just over 17 minutes per mile and finishing in an unofficial time of 3 hours, 42 minutes and 56 seconds.

The petite lady undeterred by her latest cancer treatments, was back on the starting line Sunday in the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon.

“This year I really couldn’t train too much because I had an operation in July for my leg,” the grandmother from Charlotte, who has survived squamous cell carcinoma and oral cancer, said in an email. “They had to take some skin from my thigh and graft it into my leg where I had a big scar from radiation. … My training started several months ago when I could start walking again. I did a couple 5Ks and [an] 8K. My son Brenny and I went for eight miles the other day. I’m scared I won’t be able to last 13 miles, but I’ll make a stab.”

Thompson, who took up running when she was 76 and decided “I can walk a marathon,” is also motivated by the knowledge that her efforts have raised over $100,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year her effort has raised $15,000.