Dot Sowerby, a 90-year-old woman from North Carolina, made history at last weekend’s Chicago Half Marathon and 5K. The Greensboro-based Sowerby finished the 13.1-mile race in 3:33:47, setting a record for the fastest American women’s time in the 90-94 age group.
The race featured 10,000 participants, who laced up to run a fast course along the Windy City’s scenic Lakeshore Drive.
Sowerby’s finish bested a previous record by the late Harriette Thompson, who ran San Diego’s Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon in 3:46:56 at age 94 back in 2017.
“I think older people can do anything, and I just like to keep active, and you’re never too old to get out there and run,” Sowerby told a local ABC News affiliate in Chicago, after the race last Sunday.
Amazingly, this isn’t the first record Sowerby has set this year. Back in July she broke the W90 record for running 1500 meters (time 11:30:62) at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships, which just happened to take place in her hometown of Greensboro.
Photos courtesy of Dot Sowerby
