FCRC member Libby James was just honored in Running Times. She turned 77 last July and her 2013 performances exceeded world-record efforts.
Here are some excerpts about Libby:
She didn’t enter a race until age 40, refers to herself as a “plodder” and has never had a coach, but Libby James is one of the world’s finest distance runners. Among masters athletes her performances are the best, bar none.
James, who turned 77 in July, raced sparingly in 2013, as is her fashion. But when she did lace up her racing flats, the results were remarkable. And this year James did something new: She ran a race with the goal of setting a world record. Any anxieties she might have felt about a record attempt must have evaporated when the gun went off at the 2013 Disney World Half Marathon in January, for James ran one of the best races of her life to finish in 1:45:52 (1:46:08 gun time). Her age-graded score of 103.75 percent topped all other performances of 2013 of any age or gender.
Congratulations, Libby!
Running Times Magazine: Libby James Tops the Masters Charts