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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

70-year-old grandmother Gunhild Swanson finishes 100.2-mile Western States Endurance Run

Swanson

Hollywood couldn’t make this up.

Last weekend in California, only one competitor was left in a 100-mile endurance run.

With 90 seconds left before the 30-hour cutoff time and 300 meters to go, 70-year-old grandmother Gunhild Swanson of Spokane Valley gave it her all.

And she was rewarded the biggest cheers, especially when she crossed the finish line with six seconds to spare in the 100.2-mile Western States Endurance Run.

“It was total happiness,” said Swanson, who in the process became the oldest woman to complete the course.

Everyone was caught up in the excitement.

“In over 15 years of attending Western States I have never witnessed anything like what transpired in the track shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday,” wrote Andy Jones-Wilkins, an ultrarunner, on the race’s Facebook page.

It was even better than that. After the awards ceremony, Swanson said that she and her pacer went off course at the 88-mile mark. By the time she noticed the mistake, the mother of four had run an extra three miles.

After 90 miles, she was barely within contention to make the cutoff time. “You just have to keep moving, Swanson said. “I just had to go as hard as I could.”

The cheers began at the final aid station, which lay 1.3 miles from the finish. Volunteers screamed encouragement as Swanson was led by her pacers, including her son and grandson.

On the final stretch, Rob Krar, the overall winner of the race who finished nearly 15 hours earlier, joined Swanson and ran the last mile with her, wearing flip flops.

When Swanson hit the finish line in 29 hours, 59 minutes and 54 seconds, her feeling was “exhilaration,” she said.

Then again, she feels that on every run, though a bit more privately. “I love to challenge myself, and I love the beauty, the solitude of trail running, with no pressure,” said Swanson, who emigrated from Germany in 1963.

She’s competed in ultramarathons since 1987. She’s run more than 260 of the events, including 15 last year.

The age-group record isn’t her first; in the 2005 Western States Endurance Run, she set the 60-to-69-year-old age-group record of 25:40.29.

There will be more races in her future. In September, a friend will visit from Germany. From Spokane, Swanson said she’ll travel to Hawaii for a marathon.