Inducted March 2023
Betty submitted the following to a publication regarding “Women Training for a Marathon:
About myself: I am 77 years old and have done most of my running an marathons since retirement. I was widowed at age 49, and running took a back seat for a while. I have 3 daughters, remarried in 2020 and my second husband (Van) has 2 sons and a daughter. All are grown and out of the house now. I enjoy volunteering, knitting, and running. I have used some hats and potholders I have made to raise money for various charities , and have donated hats to a local charity callee Delaware Head Huggers.
We have a cute little dog named Tilley, who makes sure we get at least a mile walk every day. Van says I can pass anything but a dog. I try to guess the breed of dogs I encounter in my rambles.
I am one of 10 children, both my parents were fairly active in their younger days, I have been blessed with overall good health, and still have the knees I was born with! Unfortunately my current husband, Van, is nearing 80 years and has several health problems, including a bad fall last August, which turned me into “Nurse Betty” for the duration.
Some of my dearest friends I have met through running…some friendships going back 30 years. Running has been a core of my social life, and I always look forward to meeting up with friends at races. I am among the slowest , have been blessed to develop so many good friendships along the way. Sometimes I will stay with someone who has been injured or is new to running because I don’t care about time any more. I have many colorful outfits I like to wear when I run, and my motto is “If you can’t be fast be colorful”
I am a member of Kiwanis International, a volunteer service organization. I am also ma member of Mid-Atlantic USATF, Fusion
Running Club and Pike Creek Valley Running Club here in Delaware, and an honorary member of Black Girls Run. My husband and I are members of our local Jewish Community Center, where I have tried water aerobics, yoga, strength training, stationary biking, and most recently Zumba. During the Pandemic I was even able to complete a virtual triathlon there.
My Marathon journey; I had done one marathon in my forties, but took a step back from running after my first husband passed away at age 49. After I remarried in 2020, my husband and I walked the first Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco as fund raisers for Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training. As I neared retirement , I became a fund raiser for “Girls on the Run” and took part in their “Couch to 5k Training” and things took off from there. I don’t really keep good records of what I have done, I think I’m up to 13 marathons so far, including 2 done as virtual ones during the Pandemic. Some of the ones I have done include Marine Corps, Grandma’s, and Flying Pig. A highlight year for me was 2017 when I joined Kathryn Switzer’s “261 Fearless”, and completed both Boston and New York Marathons as a fundraiser for that charity. I ran London in 2021, what an adventure that one was with all the Covid Tests we had to take to get in and out of the United Kingdom! Last year I ran the Flying Pig, and in December I walked the Honolulu Marathon since my husband’s health concerns impacted my ability to train and there was no time limit.
Marathon I am training for. Flying Pig in May, hopefully NYC in November.
Congratulations and thank you for being an inspiration, Betty! Welcome to the PCVRC Hall of Fame!
