2023 Age Group World Championship Profiles: Mary Jo Brinkman

Name: Mary Jo Brinkman

Nationality: United States of America

Category: F80+

Fastest Major: 4:12:59 (Boston 2007)

Total AbbottWMM Stars: 5

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In Fort Smith, Arkansas, they know Mary Jo Brinkman as The Running Lady.

“It’s because I’m still running at my age. It’s something I do that not everybody does.”

The 81-year-old has run five of the six Majors so far, with just Tokyo to go, but before that she has the chance to contest the title of world champion.

A time of 5:36:47 in Berlin last year punched her ticket back to the World Championships.

She had signed up to AbbottWMM.com to ensure she had all her existing stars in her account in the hope of earning a place in Tokyo eventually. It was then that she realised she had run fast enough in Berlin to earn a World Championship slot.  

“I was thrilled, and very humbled, I’m training hard so I don’t finish last!”

There is little danger of that. Her time in Berlin last year would have put her on the second step of the podium in London. She wakes at 5.30 every morning to run before completing a gym session at the hospital where she still works.

She runs another two times a week in the evenings and fits in a long distance effort at the weekends.

“I am very competitive. You have to be competitive to run a marathon. I’ve kept trying to place (in her age group), and I enjoy that part of it. Running a marathon is 99% in your head. Training is very important, but you have to have the will to go on when feel like you can’t.”

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