Age is just a number, if only

如果我能解鎖自己身體的秘訣……

看看這位64歲的青年婦女！世界記錄保持者，64歲時比她24歲時跑得還快！

Mariko Yugeta, the world record holder for women’s marathon in the 60+ age group, continues to push the boundaries of human potential.

 

On March 12th, 2023, the 64-year-old runner, already a well-known figure in Japan’s running community, proved once again that age is just a number. Competing at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, Yugeta completed her third marathon in 14 days, all under 3 hours and 5 minutes.

 

It all began on February 26th at the Himeji Castle Marathon, where she clocked 3:04:57, winning the women’s 60-64 age group. Just a week later, she raced at the Tokyo Marathon, securing her fourth consecutive age group victory with a time of 3:04:18. Then, seven days after Tokyo, Yugeta ran the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on March 12th, finishing in 3:04:30 and once again topping her category.

 

Mariko Yugeta holds the distinction of being the first woman over 60 to run a marathon in under three hours. She set the world record for the 60-64 age group with a time of 2:52:13 at the Osaka Marathon in 2021. Since setting that record, she has completed sub-3-hour marathons four times.

 

In 2022, Yugeta also ran both the Tokyo and Nagoya marathons within a week of each other, finishing both in under 3:05. She used those races as preparation for the Boston Marathon , where she aimed to improve her world record. Though she didn’t break her record there, she still won her age group with a time of 3:06:27.

 

Yugeta’s journey as a runner began in 1979 when, at age 21, she was inspired by the finalists in the Tokyo Women’s International Marathon.

 

After three years of dedicated training, she made her marathon debut in 1982 at the Tokyo race, finishing in 3:09:21, placing 34th overall.