Jenny Hitchings: At The Vanguard of Women Runners
Is a wave of great women runners just starting? Jenny is leading the way.
I love the idea that women are becoming more and more avid runners. As a man who knows the success of women adds significantly to all our lives, I was happy to hear one of the most remarkable women runners of our time tell me women are just coming into their own in the running community.
Jenny is the embodiment of what a runner can be. Her records are stunning. At 59 years old (she will be 60 in July), she’s making history at numerous distances. Her times are so good she’s on the doorstep of elite for any age. Someone forgot to tell her she’s no longer at the time of her life when you’re supposed to be able to do that.
But she’s doing it!
She ran the London Marathon on April 23, 2023, in 2:45:27! This is a world record for the 50–59 age group and a new PB for her.
She also holds the following records (from this article in runinRabbit.com): American Record — Half Marathon: 1:21:17 Urban Cow Half, October 2018; the American Record — 10K: 37:27 Run to Feed the Hungry 10k, November 2018; the American Record — 5K: 18:05 Susan B. Anthony 5k, August 2018; the Unofficial Track — 1 mile 5:25 Sacramento, August 2021; and the 6 Mile 35:24 Wharf to…
