Choose Strong
For Tim.
聖荷塞--和往年一樣，Joy Johnson跑完了周日的紐約馬拉鬆。第二天早上，
她來到“今日”節目。那裏的氣象員Al Roker，一如既往地找到她並讓這個
Willow Glen的居民向全國觀眾展示她的完賽獎牌。
但後來，Johnson，這個世界長跑界有名的86歲的退休體育教師，病倒在酒
店裏，被送到醫院，被宣布去世。
她的女兒，Diana Boydston，說這個家庭仍在拚湊Johnson最後一天的細節。
“現在我們欣慰的是她在做自己喜歡做的事，”Boydston周二說。“她想穿著跑
鞋離世，她就是這麽做的。”
Boydston 說她媽媽在周日這場有名的馬拉鬆的20英裏處摔倒了撞到了頭部。
但是她起身完成了比賽--連續第25次。然後她周一早上第一件事就是等Roker.
在這場吸引了五萬參賽者的比賽中，Johnson是年紀最大的完賽女選手。
Chris Weiller，紐約路跑者組織發言人，說Johnson還是連續參賽者的一員
--這是一個聯係緊密的連續跑了紐約馬拉鬆15次以上的跑者團體。
“我們感到非常悲痛，”Weiller接著說。“她對每個人都是精神上的激勵。
我們切實地感到她的離去。”
Johnson在一個明尼蘇達的奶牛牧場長大，後來定居在聖荷塞。她總是有著
明朗的笑容。白發梳成一個利落的發簪。在南灣的長跑愛好者中，她非常受
愛戴。她總是不理解比賽中人們對她的過度關注。當媒體在她80歲後發現了
她，大肆報道了她少見的耐力，包括本報2008年的一篇長文，她麵對成名
不知所措。
“這麽多人比我更努力，做得比我更好，”Johnson那時說。“我隻不過盡了我
的努力。”
她56歲從教師職務退休後才開始跑步。一個朋友建議去試試1988年的紐約馬
拉鬆，一個終生的愛好就此誕生了。
“當我跨過中心公園的終點線時，我就知道這是我後半生要做的事了，“
Johnson在2008年說。“跑步讓你感覺好。非常給力。你晚上睡覺香。對我來
說最好的是想吃什麽吃什麽。”
Boydston 還是有時擔心她媽媽對這些26.2英裏比賽的愛好。“我和她住一起，
所以晚上我會看到一個86歲的老太太掙紮著走路，”她說。“但是早上她會做做
拉伸，吃點燕麥粥，走上跑道，突然變成32歲。”
上星期，Johnson到明尼蘇達看妹妹，83歲的Faith Anderson，然後兩人繼
續向紐約進發。
紐約日報報道在一次賽前采訪中，Johnson說她會驕傲地以自己的速度跑。
“我會跑在最後，但我不介意，“她說。”我隻是讚美上帝我能夠每天早上起床
跑步。許多我這個年紀的人都坐在輪椅了。“
Boydston說她在線跟蹤了她母親的比賽過程。她用了7小時57分41秒完賽--比
她平時的標準慢。後來Boydston才從姨那裏知道母親中途摔了跤。Weiller，
賽事發言人，說醫務人員在Johnson跨過終點後給她做了檢查。
“她很清醒，精神很好。她說一個好心人幫她站起，”他說。“她拒絕去醫院進一
步檢查。”
不清楚這一跤和她的去世有沒有直接關係。
第二天早上，她和Roker年度交談的時候還是好好的。她當時帶著圍巾，拿著
一支玫瑰。她的脖子上掛著獎牌。她臉和頭的右側打了包紮。
回到酒店房間，Johnson告訴她妹妹她感覺不好，需要躺下休息。她再也沒能
醒來。
自那以來，Boydston說她一直在接全國各地，甚至更遠的地方，的電話。
“我接了一個從巴黎打來的電話。我不認為她去過那個地方，”Boydston說。
“但是她到哪兒都交朋友。”
Boydston接著開始用現在時態講她的母親，然後就哽咽，說不下去了。
“這就是我媽想要的生活，”她接著說。“我想她也許正在向下看著，說，‘對。
我就想這樣活。’”
葬禮將在明尼蘇達和聖荷塞兩地舉行。
SAN JOSE — Just like she did every year, Joy
Johnson finished the New York City Marathon
Sunday. The following morning she stationed
herself outside the “Today” show where weatherman
Al Roker, as always, looked for her and let the
Willow Glen resident display her finisher’s medal
to a national audience.
But afterward Johnson, an 86-year-old retired P.E.
teacher who was renowned in the worldwide running
community for her marathon prowess, became ill at
her hotel and was taken to a New York hospital,
where she was pronounced dead.
Her daughter, Diana Boydston, said the family is
still piecing together the details of Johnson’s
last day.
“What’s keeping us going right now is that she was
doing what she loved,” Boydston said Tuesday. “She
wanted to die with her running shoes on, and she did.”
Boydston said her mother apparently fell and hit
her head Sunday around the 20-mile mark of the
famous marathon. But she got up and completed the
race — for the 25th consecutive time. Then she
made sure she was waiting for Roker first thing
Monday morning.
Johnson was the oldest female finisher at a race
that attracted more than 50,000 entrants. Chris
Weiller, spokesman for the New York Road Runners,
said Johnson also was a member of the prestigious
“streakers” — a tightknit group of runners who
have completed 15 or more consecutive New York
City Marathons.
“We’re just so sad to hear about her passing,”
Weiller added. “She was an inspiration to
everyone. We’re really feeling her loss here.”
Johnson, who grew up on a Minnesota dairy farm and
landed in San Jose, was a well-liked and
recognizable figure among South Bay runners with
her bright smile and white hair tied neatly in a
bun. She never understood the fuss made over her
at races, and was a little star-struck when the
media discovered her after she turned 80,
highlighting her rare endurance running ability,
including in a lengthy 2008 profile in this
newspaper.
“So many people work harder than me and are so
much better,” Johnson said back then. “I just try
to do the best that I can.”
She didn’t begin running until retiring from
teaching at age 56. When a friend suggested they
attempt the 1988 New York City Marathon, a passion
was born.
“When I crossed that finish line in Central Park,
I just knew this is what I would do the rest of my
life,” Johnson said in 2008. “Running makes you
feel good. It’s energizing. You sleep better at
night. And the best part for me is you can eat
anything you want.”
Still, Boydston sometimes worried about her
mother’s love of running the 26.2-mile races.
“I live with her, so I would see the 86-year-old
woman who struggled to walk late at night,” she
said. “But then in the morning, she would stretch
a bit, eat some oatmeal, go to the track and then
suddenly she was 32.”
Johnson traveled last week to Minnesota to meet up
with her sister, Faith Anderson, 83, before they
continued on to New York.
The New York Daily News reported that in a
pre-race interview Johnson said she proudly would
be running at her own pace.
“I’ll be at the back of the pack, but I don’t
mind,” she said. “I just praise the Lord I can get
out of bed each morning and run. A lot of people
my age are in wheelchairs.”
Boydston said she followed her mother’s progress
in the race online and knew that she completed the
course in 7 hours, 57 minutes and 41 seconds — a
slow time by her standard. It was only later that
Boydston learned from her aunt about the fall.
Weiller, the race spokesman, said medical
personnel examined Johnson after she crossed the
finish line.
“She was alert, in good spirits and said a nice
person had helped her up,” he said. “She declined
to go to the hospital for further evaluation.”
It’s unclear if Johnson’s fall was related to her death.
The next morning, she was well enough for her
annual chat with Roker, where she wore a scarf and
held a rose. Her medal hung around her neck. There
also was a bandage on the right side of her face
and head.
Back at their hotel room, Johnson told her sister
she wasn’t feeling well and needed to lie down.
She never woke up.
Since then, Boydston said she has been fielding
calls from around the country, and even further away.
“I had somebody from Paris call, and I don’t think
she ever went there,” Boydston said. “But she
makes friends wherever she goes.”
Boydston then caught herself speaking about her
mother in the present tense, and began to choke up.
“This is how my mother wanted to live her life,”
she added. “I think she’s probably looking down
now and saying, ‘Yeah, that’s the way I wanted it.’ “
Services are being planned in Minnesota, and a
service will be held later in San Jose.
She did what she enjoyed and thanked her God for the gift.
Thank you for reading and your comments.