BOSTON, April 20, 2015 /CNW/ – Dr. Jean Marmoreo, 72, of Toronto, placed first among women age 70-74 in the 119th Boston Marathon which was run today.
This marks the sixth consecutive year Marmoreo has run the Boston Marathon and placed first in her age group.
She crossed the finish line today in 4 hours, 56 seconds (4:00:56) in what was Marmoreo’s final marathon.
As she said: “I’ve been running marathons since 1994 and the entire experience has been incredibly fulfilling. But I’m 72 now and I have a grand-daughter and lots of new interests. So I’ll free up the hours and hours of training it takes to do a marathon and see what’s over the next hill.”
Dr. Marmoreo, a Toronto family physician, is the co-founder of JeansMarines, the women’s marathon group that ran from 2002 to 2008. See http://drjean.info/about-dr-jean/
Said Kathrine Switzer, famed women’s pioneer, marathoner and sports broadcaster: “Jean Marmoreo is an inspiration to women everywhere – and especially women in mid-life and beyond. She’s showing us all that it’s never too late to be an athlete. I’ve watched her running career over the years and can tell you that, unlike most of us, she seems to get faster as she gets older. Her times in Boston and her performance in the other major marathons make up a remarkable record of achievement.”
Dr. Marmoreo’s finish today adds to her series of age group wins beginning in Boston in 2009, then again in 2010 and 2011, all in the Women’s 65-69 category. In 2012, she ran the Berlin Marathon instead and placed first in the 65-69 category. Then in 2013 and 2014, she returned to Boston and finished first in the new category of 70-74.
In previous years, Dr. Marmoreo also placed first in her age group in the Ottawa, Chicago and Marine Corps (Washington, D.C.) marathons. Last year, she set a Canadian record for women 70-74 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and previously had set another Canadian record for the same age group at the 121-year-old Around the Bay Race in Hamilton, the oldest foot race in North America.
SOURCE Dr. Jean Marmoreo