Ginette Bedard

Ginette Bedard (born December 12, 1933) is a French-American long-distance runner from Queens, New York. She is known for her participation in marathons since 2001, at the age of sixty-seven.[4][5] In 2005, she set the U.S. marathon record for women aged 70–74.[6][7] In 2008, at age seventy-four, she set the masters W75 marathon world record with a time of 4:08:31.[8] As of 2020, she has participated in seventeen New York City Marathons, where she at times has been the oldest woman to participate.[9]

Ginette Bedard
Personal information
CitizenshipUnited States[1]
Born (1933-12-08) December 8, 1933[2]
Metz, France
Years active2001–Present[3]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • Marathon: 3:46:03 (2006)[3]
  • Half-marathon: 1:45:54 (2003)[3]

She attributes her fitness despite her age to the practice of running ten miles a day along Howard Beach where she resides.[10]

Background

Bedard was born in Metz, France. She married a member of the Canadian Air Force and moved to Canada, then later to New York, where she became an American citizen.[11] When interviewed by the New Yorker in 2019, she said she first became interested in physical fitness after watching the Jack LaLanne Show on a regular basis:[12]

Jack LaLanne, he got me inspired...every day I watched him on TV, and also I work at the airport, and one person said, "I just finished a marathon."

"Marathon?" I said. "Oh, I could never be like those, they're superhuman. Gee, wait a minute – if he could do [it], so can I!"

Running career

Bedard participated in her first New York City marathon in 2002,[13] and according to the New York Road Runners has since ran in over 350 races, including 44 half-marathons and 20 marathons.[3]

Notable marathoning achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
2005 New York City Marathon New York City, United States 5,248 (1st in age-graded, 2nd in age-group) 3:46:34 (former U.S. marathon record for women aged 70–74)[14][2]
2008 New York City Marathon New York City, United States 15,794 (1st in age-graded) 4:08:31 (Masters W75 marathon world record)[8][2]

References
  1. Constantinesco, Kim (November 4, 2018). "Ginette Bedard, 85, runs 365 days a year, finishes NYC Marathon". Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  2. "All Time World Rankings - Marathon". www.mastersathletics.net. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  4. Oztaskin, Murat (2019-10-30). "An Octogenarian Laces Up Her Sneakers for the New York City Marathon". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  5. Tymn, Mike (2006-08-29). "Ginette Bedard". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 2019-09-09. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  6. October 30, Stephanie Hoppe; 2019 (2019-10-30). "86-year-old Marathoner Ginette Bedard Shares Her Training". PodiumRunner. Retrieved 2020-01-21.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ""It's An Addiction": 85-Year-Old French Woman's Love For Marathons". NDTV. Agence France-Presse. November 2, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  8. "Ginete Bedard - 2008 ING New York City Marathon". New York Road Runners Race Results. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  9. "Meet Queens resident Ginette Bedard, one of NYC Marathon's oldest runners". QNS.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  10. Meschke, Jacob (2018-11-20). "85-Year-Old Marathoner on Her 10-Mile Daily Runs, Fad Diets, and the Problem With Men Her Age". Runner's World. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  11. Oztaskin, Murat (2019-10-30). "An Octogenarian Laces Up Her Sneakers for the New York City Marathon". ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  12. Running the New York City Marathon at Age Eight-Six (Video). The New Yorker. October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  13. "Ginette Bedard - 2002 New York City Marathon". NYRR. November 3, 2002. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  14. "Ginete Bedard - 2005 ING New York City Marathon". New York Road Runners Race Results. November 6, 2005. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.


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