But that hasn't stopped Hemphill from continuing to train to the best of his ability. After all, in his illustrious masters career, he's racked up world records, hundreds of road races, and even some viral fame. Not bad for a near-centenarian who is still a relative newcomer to running.
Hemphill's athletic pursuits date back to his days at Middlebury College, where he enrolled in 1946 following a three-year stint as a U.S. Navy officer during World War II. At Middlebury, the Pawcatuck, Connecticut, native won the College decathlon and earned a bronze medal in the pole vault at the Millrose Games in 1949. After graduating, however, Hemphill put sports aside in favor of raising a family and furthering his career in the boiler industry. As his four children-and later, nine grandchildren-became the focus of his life, his fitness largely fell off.
But then, in his 50s, Hemphill began getting the competitive itch again. He started out by racing a mile for fun at a local meet. Months later, after some consistent training, he anchored a team to victory in a 20-kilometer relay race. From that point forward, Hemphill had a new passion. "I got a medal and thought, 'Well, this is fun. That was 50 years ago, and I've been running ever since."
Find friends who will fuel you / To feed his running fix, Hemphill joined the Potomac Valley Track Club (PVTC), a running club in the Washington, D.C., area, in 1972. Since then, Hemphill has regularly trained with the team and competed in hundreds of road races, like the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, and ran 12 marathons, earning a 3:44 PR at age 70. Hemphill also competed in triathlons-finishing 60 in his career-but in the last 20 years, he has focused primarily on shorter distances.
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 04, 2022 de Runner's World US.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 04, 2022 de Runner's World US.
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TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE
THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.
LEAVE IT UP TO A PIECE OF PAPER TO TEACH YOU TO RUN EASY
BEFORE I FELL for running, I thought the hardest thing about the sport was the fast stuff: the speedwork, the sprints, and the intervals.
WHY-AND HOW-YOU SHOULD RUN DOUBLES
Those are just a few of the titles entered into my training log for the second run of a day.
FIND YOUR RUNNING COMMUNITY, ONLINE OR IN PERSON
I SIGNED UP for my first marathon while sobbing in the back of a rideshare, on my way to the airport to fly to my uncle's funeral.
FUEL WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT
AS AN ULTRARUNNER, I'm all too familiar with the saying that long-distance running is an \"eating contest with a running component.\"
AT THE FERTILITY CLINIC, MY PAST CAUGHT UP WITH ME
I SAT IN the fertility doctor's office white walls, bare wooden desk, opaque window-alone.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
AT 15, DARLENE STUBBS WALKED AWAY FROM A POLYGAMOUS CULT-THEN DISCOVERED A NEW LIFE AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING.
RUNNING WITH HANK
How my daughter's rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.
WHEN I FOUND OUT I HAD MS.I THOUGHT I'D NEVER RUN AGAIN.
I checked the pins on my bib, shimmied my spandex shorts into place, and teed up the stopwatch on my wrist.
A RUNNER'S GUIDE to sleep
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