Ginette Bedard (born December 12, 1933) is a French-American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

from

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

. She is known for her participation in

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

s since 2001, at the age of sixty-seven. In 2005, she set the U.S. marathon record for women aged 70–74. In 2008, at age seventy-four, she set the masters W75 marathon world record with a time of 4:08:31. , she has participated in seventeen New York City Marathons, where she at times has been the oldest woman to participate. She attributes her fitness despite her age to the practice of running ten miles a day along

Howard Beach Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered to the north by the Belt Parkway and Conduit Avenue in Ozone Park, to the south by Jamaica Bay in Broad Channel, to the east by 1 ...

where she resides.

Background

Bedard was born in

Metz, France Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (de ...

. She married a member of the

Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

and moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, then later to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where she became an American citizen. When interviewed by the New Yorker in 2019, she said she first became interested in physical fitness after watching the Jack LaLanne Show on a regular basis:

Running career

Bedard participated in her first New York City marathon in 2002, and according to the New York Road Runners ran in over 350 races, including 44 half-marathons and 20 marathons.

Notable marathoning achievements

References

1933 births Living people Sportspeople from Metz Sportspeople from Queens, New York French female long-distance runners Track and field athletes from New York City American female long-distance runners French female marathon runners American female marathon runners World record holders in masters athletics 21st-century American women {{France-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub