A 105-year-old runner created a new age bracket for the 100m — and set the record

A screenshot shows Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins after she set a new world record for the 100-meter in the women's 105+ age bracket.
A screenshot shows Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins after she set a new world record for the 100-meter in the women's 105+ age bracket.
National Senior Games

Don't bet against Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins.

The retired Louisiana teacher just became the first female track and field athlete in the 105+ age bracket to clock a time in the 100-meter dash.

Hawkins crossed the finish line in 1:02:95, a slightly slower time than she'd hoped for.

"It was wonderful to see so many family members and friends. But I wanted to do it in less than a minute," she said after the race, according to the National Senior Games Association.

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When someone in the crowd asked whether it made her feel any better to realize that her time was still less than her age, she simply said: "No."

Hawkins nabbed the record over the weekend at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games competition, which is the state's qualifying event for the biennial National Senior Games.

A screenshot of Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins running the 100-meter dash at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games.
A screenshot of Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins running the 100-meter dash at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games.
National Senior Games

Also called "The Flower Lady" for her gardening skills, Hawkins previously set the 100-meter record in the 100-104 age category in 2017, with a swift finish of 39:62.

That record was broken in September by 100-year-old Diane Friedman.

But fortuitously for Hawkins, she had taken another lap around the sun in the meantime and, at age 105, was in a new age bracket all her own.

According to the National Senior Games Association, the only other track and field athletes to hit the 105+ age category have been men — Japanese sprinter and shot putter Hidekichi Miyazaki and Polish runner and discus hurler Stanisław Kowalski.

Hawkins was a lifelong cyclist before losing interest late in life because of a lack of competition. She took up running at 100.

And she doesn't plan to slow down anytime soon.

"I want to keep running as long as I can," Hawkins said. "My message to others is that you have to stay active if you want to be healthy and happy as you age."

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