Joy Johnson was a nice looking woman for that age. Most 86 year olds can't walk at all, much less 100 meters at that pace.
Major respect to her.
Joy Johnson was a nice looking woman for that age. Most 86 year olds can't walk at all, much less 100 meters at that pace.
Major respect to her.
GoatZenHeimer wrote:
Paternal figure? What was that, a cardboard cut out?
My deceased paternal figure will now haunt you. Be safe.
I knew Joy personally as she came to my marathon running camp in Minnesota many times, she was far from a fool! She was one of the kindest smartest persons I've ever met! She trained hard but smart and loved her running and everything else she had in her life! Rest in peace my dear friend!
What happened to the 93-year-old dude who was supposed to run?
Totally agree with W. Wallace and other posts. Joy truly lived!
When you’re 20, 30, 40 years old and knocking out marathons well under 6:00 pace, which I did through age 41, you can’t imagine ever not being able to run fast. Every breath you take in – in the midst of a steep climb, a long hard drive to the finish, an all-out sprint – is rich in oxygen. Every stride is an effortless joy. The calf muscles and quads respond instantly, like tightly wound springs.
I’m now in my upper 50s, recently ran a marathon in 3:04 – a time I would have been embarrassed to tell anyone about not long ago – and was totally stoked about my performance. We age. Period. Some of us hold our peaks longer than others, but we all age. We age. We get slower. And the slowing accelerates. That’s not bad. That’s just life. What’s bad is giving up
Joy was almost 30 years older than I am now. Joints and muscles certainly a shadow of what they once were. And she never gave up. While most people her age – or 10 years younger – would have been sitting at home, complaining about various pains – she was out living, ignoring pain in the process. She was moving along the same course that has seen all kinds of history and drama, taking it all in, and living.
The fact that she ran at an18-minute-per-mile pace is inconsequential, though I suspect she was striving to do better. It’s sad that she died the day after finishing. Especially for her loved ones. But for Joy, it would have been a far greater tragedy if she’d stopped at 20 and then died the next day.
Marathon running and the 'marathon' lifestyle are not healthy. It's like skydiving. Sometimes you die but if you need the thrill, then go for it. Unfortunately, marathon running is a little less obvious. The data is in. the research has been done. Marathon running is unhealthy. It will shorten your life. It will burn you out. It will make you old before your time.
Fatboy, tell that to Ed Whitlock!
Hitting your head + blood thinning medication probably didn't help. Still, that's one full life we would all be so lucky to have. Satisfaction from accomplishing something difficult, tired and happy forever sleep.
Fat Boy wrote:
Marathon running and the 'marathon' lifestyle are not healthy. It's like skydiving. Sometimes you die but if you need the thrill, then go for it. Unfortunately, marathon running is a little less obvious. The data is in. the research has been done. Marathon running is unhealthy. It will shorten your life. It will burn you out. It will make you old before your time.
Where is this research that you speak of?
And no, you will not 'sometimes die'. You will, in fact, eventually die regardless of what you do.
Hats off to the lady for not rotting away on the couch.
Mouther wrote:
jaw agape wrote:That is sad news. Hard to believe an 86 y.o. woman would even attempt the NYC marathon. She is deserving of some serious respect.
She was a fool, unless she wanted to die. Marathoning is not healthy for anyone, especially someone of that age
She wanted to live HER WAY, not yours.
The key takeaway here is that sometimes it is better to DNF, get the medical care you need, reboot and try again next year.
Who knows how many more happy years she could have had, including more Marathons?
Us runners are stubborn.
I don't know why, but that hit me right in the feels.
A nice video of her from five years ago:http://live.wsj.com/video/81-year-old-marathoner-amps-up-workout/59A670E2-BDCD-4439-AD4F-7EFFA6AE9B7D.html#!59A670E2-BDCD-4439-AD4F-7EFFA6AE9B7D
Run4fr wrote:
Totally agree with W. Wallace and other posts. Joy truly lived!
When you’re 20, 30, 40 years old and knocking out marathons well under 6:00 pace, which I did through age 41, you can’t imagine ever not being able to run fast. Every breath you take in – in the midst of a steep climb, a long hard drive to the finish, an all-out sprint – is rich in oxygen. Every stride is an effortless joy. The calf muscles and quads respond instantly, like tightly wound springs.
I’m now in my upper 50s, recently ran a marathon in 3:04 – a time I would have been embarrassed to tell anyone about not long ago – and was totally stoked about my performance. We age. Period. Some of us hold our peaks longer than others, but we all age. We age. We get slower. And the slowing accelerates. That’s not bad. That’s just life. What’s bad is giving up
Joy was almost 30 years older than I am now. Joints and muscles certainly a shadow of what they once were. And she never gave up. While most people her age – or 10 years younger – would have been sitting at home, complaining about various pains – she was out living, ignoring pain in the process. She was moving along the same course that has seen all kinds of history and drama, taking it all in, and living.
The fact that she ran at an18-minute-per-mile pace is inconsequential, though I suspect she was striving to do better. It’s sad that she died the day after finishing. Especially for her loved ones. But for Joy, it would have been a far greater tragedy if she’d stopped at 20 and then died the next day.
Nutella1 wrote:
The key takeaway here is that sometimes it is better to DNF, get the medical care you need, reboot and try again next year.
Who knows how many more happy years she could have had, including more Marathons?
Us runners are stubborn.
Had she stopped and got medical care she might have been dead in an hour.
Beardsley wrote:
Fatboy, tell that to Ed Whitlock!
Yes, hard to believe Ed is only five years younger or so.
Mouther wrote:She was a fool...
Well, she lived 86 years, apparently without succumbing to severe physical or mental disability. Either she was dealt an amazing hand or she played her cards well. Probably both, actually.
We should all be so lucky.
good on her - she never stopped. Never stop running, ladies and gents.
just goes to show running isnt good for you. ill be laughing when all yall runners are keeling over in races one day
Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Her cause of death may be unrelated to her marathon accident and/or effort. Assuming she died of an aneurysm or MI, etc, there is no saying she wouldn't have been struck down decades earlier if she had not chosen to be a athletic. Her active lifestyle may have delayed whatever problem eventually killed her.
I'd rather go still relishing the joy of a long, tough run.
Sympathies to her family, I imagine she is was your champion.
fool undate wrote:
She wanted to live HER WAY, not yours.
You do realize that she's dead, right? That marathon killed her. That's not living.