At just past 70 years old, Carolyn Mather has run far more miles than any woman in the world ... or at least those tracked by www.100kLifetime Miles--more than 217,000 miles. In fact, there are only a handful of men with more miles than Mather. Her biggest years--well over 7000 miles--have been the last three, which came on the heels of her husband's death. He--Steve Mather--played a big role in distance running also, as he basically invented the science of fluid tables and distribution to elite athletes in the world's biggest, most important marathons. In addition to her high weekly mileage, in December Carolyn Mather (Morganton, GA) won her age group at the 2018 USATF Club XC Championships. She repeated this past weekend at the USATF National XC meet in Tallahassee FL.
Your career/profession? I am retired from medical education and health care management. I am a registered nurse and have a PhD in Educational Leadership and Research and Statistics. I have taken up a second career in retirement as a writer for Running Journal and Fortius Media/RunBlogRun.
When did you start running and why? I started running in the summer of 1978 when I was living in the coed dorm at the University of South Florida and finishing my masters degree. After having worked as a full time middle school teacher and coach, part time professor and graduate student,mother, wife and general housekeeper and cook, I was completely at a loss for something to occupy my time. So I started running.
How much did you run in your peak years? Way too much. 140-150 miles per
