As a 92-year-old Syracuse University alumna crossed the finish line of the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego marathon, red, white and blue confetti exploded around her as reporters and photographers swarmed to capture history.

Harriette Thompson, a 1947 SU graduate, had just become the oldest female to ever finish a competitive 26.2-mile race. She completed the marathon with a time of 7:24:36.

Thompson broke the record previously held by Gladys Burrill, who ran the 2010 Honolulu Marathon in 9:53:16 at the age of 92 years, 19 days old. Thompson turned 92 three months ago.

“A lot was going through my head. It seemed like everyone that was there knew who I was because I was so old,” Thompson said. “And they were all cheering me on, and I was just hoping I could get across that finish line because that’s the most wonderful feeling.”

 

Almost 19,000 people competed in Sunday’s race, the 18th running of the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego. A three-time cancer survivor, Thompson ran clad in head-to-toe purple on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Team In Training.
A Charlotte resident, she has run the marathon 16 times in the last 18 years. In that time, she has raised over $100,000 for cancer research according to the Charlotte Observer.

“When I got to about mile 21 I was thinking, ‘Am I crazy?’” she said with a laugh. “I try to stay positive and keep thinking this is a good cause. I have a son now that has cancer. I am running for him, and I am also running for all the people that supported me.”

One of her biggest supporters was her other son, Brenny Thompson, 56, who ran the marathon alongside his mother. He said his biggest role during the race was to keep his mother safe. He brought her water and food to keep her energized.

He also had to protect her from what he said was one of the most dangerous parts of the marathon: other really enthusiastic runners. Because of her notoriety, excited runners wanted to pat her on the back as they ran by, which is a nice thought, but isn’t practical, Brenny said. So the team instead asks people, politely, just to say hi.

In addition to being a part time bodyguard, Brenny acted as a motivator during the race.

“I have to be careful, she likes to be positive. So instead of saying, ‘This road is going to be at an angle,’ I say, ‘The better road is coming up,’” he said with a laugh. “I try to keep it in a positive frame.”

Brenny said his mother loves to stay active, and that if this wasn’t fun for her she wouldn’t do it. Now that the race is over, he has been acting as a sort-of booking agent for the world-record holder, fielding phone calls from media outlets pining for some time to speak with her.

In the days leading up to the race, Thompson became a media spectacle. The San-Diego Tribune wrote a profile of her on its front page Sunday, The Charlotte Observer chronicled her journey from start to finish and every major news network was waiting at the finish line to get their chance to talk to the exhausted SU alumna. People couldn’t get enough of her.

 

But this year’s run almost didn’t happen.

In past years, she trained with a team for months, going on group runs on Saturday mornings. But that wasn’t the case this year, as Thompson was recovering from radiation treatment for squamous cell carcinoma on her leg.

In addition, her late husband, Sydnor was battling cancer, and she wanted to spend every moment she could with him. He died in January at age 90, after a long battle with the disease. Brenny said he was unsure if his mother was ready to compete, but that she wanted to try.

Thompson met Sydnor at SU while he was preparing to enlist in the war effort. He returned during her junior year, and they continued dating.

Thompson said she didn’t run at all when she was at Syracuse and that she preferred to focus on her love for the piano, which she attended SU on a scholarship to play. She joked that she always stayed active by trudging through the Syracuse snow.

Syndor and Thompson ended up graduating on the same day, June 2, 1947, and the pair married two hours after graduation in Hendricks Chapel. Tuesday would have been there 68th anniversary.

Thompson stressed that completing the marathon wasn’t for her — it was for the people she ran it for: Her children, her siblings, her husband, her friends and all of her supporters.

Brenny said his mother is the “Golden Rule in action,” volunteering weekly to help feed the homeless, and always working to help other people. At the end of the day he said that’s why she races, to help other people battling cancer.

“People say I am an inspiration,” Thompson said. “I was so pleased to hear that. Some of them came up to me, and said I was the reason why they raced. That was a very satisfying thing, inspiring other people.”

Published on June 2, 2015 at 11:05 pm

Contact Jacob: jagedets@syr.edu