92-year-old Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina became the oldest woman to finish a marathon after completing the Rock n' Roll Marathon in San Diego on Sunday.
According to marathon statistics tracker Competitor, Thompson was able to complete the 26.2-mile track in 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds.
"I think if I can do it, anybody can do it, because I wasn't trained to be a runner," Thompson said during an interview.
The cancer survivor and mother-of-five began joining marathons when she was 76 years old. She said that running in the events has been a challenge, but this year was especially difficult for her.
Thompson had just lost her husband, Sydnor, to cancer and she had contracted a staph infection in one of her legs while preparing for the year's event.
Despite these challenges, she was determined to run and complete the Rock n' Roll Marathon.
"I'm sure all that weakened me to some extent, so I'm not as strong as I'd like to be but I'm still going to try," Thompson said.
"I'm just going to walk real fast and then run some, and just try not to wear myself down too fast. It'll be sort of interesting. I'll be the most surprised person if I finish it. I hope I will!"
When she finished the marathon, Thompson was flocked by people who wanted to congratulate her for her achievement.
She shared how exciting it was to become a record holder.
"I just can't get over it and it's nice to know," she said. "But I wasn't really interested in making, breaking any records. I was just interested in raising money."
Thompson has competed in different marathons in order to raise funds for the charity she supports, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has collected more than $100,000 for the organization.
Last year, Thompson finished the Rock n' Roll Marathon in a record-setting 7 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds. It broke the standing record for a woman 90 years old and older by more than an hour and a half.
The previous record for the oldest woman to finish a marathon was held by Gladys Burrill. She completed the 2010 Honolulu Marathon when she was 92 years and 19 days old.
Thompson, however, is 92 years and 65 days old when she finished the San Diego marathon according to the organizers of the event.
