The 107-year-old woman, referred to as “the Hurricane,” has demonstrated remarkable talent despite her advanced age!
In fact, in November 2021, at the age of 105, Julia Hawkins set a new world record for the fastest 100-meter run during the Louisiana Senior Games, an event for those over 50.
Even at 107 years old, she is still going strong!
Hawkins admitted to WWNO that she hasn’t always been a runner and that one of her kids suggested she try to complete the 100-yard sprint in less than a minute when she turned 100. She continues, “And I finished it in a lot less time than that.”
At the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games, her goal was to complete the dash in less than a minute; however, she ultimately finished the race in just over 62 seconds. She said, “I have performed much better than that.” “It was incredibly cold.” However, given the circumstances on that specific day, that seemed to be the best I could have done.
One of the most encouraging aspects of the marathon for retired teacher Hawkins was seeing a number of her old students supporting her from the sidelines! “I taught at three different schools, so I had three different kids from those three schools at that race.” They are 90 years old as well. When I taught them, they were in fourth grade, and today they are ninety-nine! It reveals my age to you, she said.
She wasn’t amazed that she won the fastest 100-meter dash in the 105+ years category, but she was disappointed that she didn’t finish in under a minute. Her incredible achievement of breaking the world record and winning the contest thrilled her family!
She remarked, “Well, I knew it was a possibility because not many older people do things like this.” “There weren’t exactly athletes among the few of us when I first started running.” Just old women trying to do something different. Thus, I usually prevailed over those who lacked actual athletic ability.
In addition to jogging, Hawkins likes to spend time in the garden and with her kids, grandkids, and great-grandchildren.
Before his passing a few years ago, she had been married to Murray Hawkins for 70 years, and she also loved spending time with him. “I was from a small town called Ponchatoula, and he was from New Orleans.” She recalled their early days together, saying, “I went home and wrote about him in my diary when I saw him and met him and saw how smart and attractive he was.”
The pair got married over the phone eight years later! “He was employed by the Navy at the time of the Pearl Harbor bombing.” So we got married over the phone when they sent him out there. That was unusual at the moment. I went to Baton Rouge with my father-in-law to find out if it was allowed in Louisiana. It was that. She clarified, “So we got married over the phone.”
As she ages, Hawkins offers some advice to others, emphasizing that we should never stop looking for the “magic moments” in life. “Something you don’t see very often are magic moments.” “Like a really beautiful shooting star, sunrise, or sunset,” she said. “It is worthwhile to keep an eye out for amazing things like that.” To view them, you don’t have to be wealthy. All you need to do is stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings.
What do you think of this amazing woman? Comment with what you know!
