Skip to main content

New Book Profiles Women Runners Over 50, Including Locals

A book released this year by Carol Hansen Montgomery titled Tapping The Fountain of Youth: Profiles of Women Runners Over 50 includes women from Cape May County, Ocean City, Hamilton, and Philadelphia.

The book features photos, anecdotes, statistics and accomplishments of women runners from age 50 to 80 plus.

Susan Reich of Ocean City, NJ is one of the women profiled in the book. Starting at age 22 and still running at age 52, she's a 30 year veteran who, according to the book, was the recent overall female winner of Ocean City's half marathon. She started training after joining the Brigantine Beach Patrol.

Montgomery quotes Reich as saying, "As long as I'm having fun and staying healthy I'll keep running. I missed all aspects of this summer when I was injured. I'm addicted. I think part of the reason I keep improving is that I did not start running seriously until later in life. I had much room for improvement."

Other locals profiled in the book include Carole O. Donohue of Cape May Court House, NJ, age 51, who runs 40 to 60 miles a week while training for a marathon, Suzanne Gibson, age 60, of Egg Harbor Township, NJ whose best race was the Philadelphia Marathon at age 52, Sue Baker of Ocean City, NJ, who at age 65 runs 12 to 15 miles per week, Carole L. Lelli of Ocean City, NJ, who at age 68 runs 20 to 25 miles per week and who completed her best race at age 48 in the New York City Marathon, and Rita Alles of Hamilton, NJ, who at age 74 runs 10 to 12 miles per week and does spinning two days per week.

All of the women profiled in this book are sure to provide some inspiration to not only runners, but anyone looking to dedicate themselves to any pursuit. Their accomplishments and their lasting health show the personal benefits that are possible from consistent dedication.

Tapping the Fountain of Youth: Profiles of Women Runners Over 50 is in our collection at the Ocean City Public Library. The 196-page book was published in August of 2012.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"A Banquet of Consequences" by Elizabeth George

      Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mystery series is probably one of my favourites in the style of English detective stories. It's the series that I keep returning to, when I slip into a reading rut and can't focus on reading something new, particularly to the first book in the series A Great Deliverance. While there are lots of decent mystery series circulating now, the first book in George's Lynley stories has a certain grim insistence about it that keeps drawing me back to it. And in her latest contribution to the series, George has written a story that in many aspects parallels her first--however, these parallels did not become immediately apparent until the climax of the story.       One of the things that I like best about Elizabeth George's writing is that she realises that a lot of times, the supporting characters can have better story potential than the main title character. She uses this to her advantage in almost all of the Lynley seri...

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

A short but very moving tale about a man who uncovers the awful truth about a former lover. Michael is 15 when he first meets Hanna, who is 36. Despite the creepy age difference, the two become lovers, though Michael is far more captivated by the mysterious and distant Hanna than she is to him. Their affair is all too brief and one day, Hanna just disappears. Years later, Michael unintentionally sees Hanna as the defendant when he is observing a court case for law school. As Michael slowly learns about Hanna's horrible past, he must struggle to accept the question - if he loves (or loved) a monster, what does that make him? There is redemption in the end, but it's very bittersweet. And of course, they made a movie out of this one. If the weather is decent, perhaps I'll go see it this weekend - Kate Winslet is supposed to be fabulous.

International Women's Day & Women's History Month

      The beginning of March marks the beginning of Women's History Month, and specifically March 8th as International Women's Day. According to the official International Women's Day website , March 8th is " a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future."       This day is set to remember the  suffragettes worldwide who protested, campaigned, and made their voices heard in order that women everywhere in the world would gain the equality and rights they deserved in order to make their voices heard. In some countries, such as China, Vietnam, Russia, and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is an official national holiday.       It's not just a day to remember the past, though. It is also a time to call attention to the fact that despite the efforts and many accomplishments of our suffragette ancestors, that there are still issues that need addressing--wage gaps,...