(Sept. 2019) Fifty-six year old Mary Etta Boitano Blanchard has had one of the most amazing and distinguished running careers in the world. She finished her first marathon as a 6-yr old in 1969, and still holds the world best marathon times for a 6-yr old and 7-yr-old (4:27:32 and 3:57:42), according to the Association of Road Race Statisticians. By the age of 9, she had improved to a 3:01:15. Despite the early start, Blanchard has never lost her appreciation for running. She's still logging 40+ miles a week, and has run a 1:52 half marathon this year. "I run because it is a healthy choice for me," she says.
Career/profession: I am a retired RN who worked in a hospital on a medical surgical floor in SF. Currently, I share most of my time with my 96 year old momma, who loves to garden and take walks, my husband, Richard, my sons, Johnny and RB, and dogs, Gozer, Sweet Pea, & Speedy.
When did you start running and why? I started running with my family in the summer 1967, in San Francisco. We started running because
