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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane Valley grandma drops out of 100-mile endurance race

Gunhild Swanson, of Spokane Valley, dropped out of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Race in California early Sunday, saying she was exhausted, running on blisters and barely making key cutoff times. Last year, she became the first 70-year-old woman to finish the race in a dramatic finish with only six seconds to spare. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

Gunhild Swanson, the Spokane Valley woman who at age 71 tackled this weekend’s Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, dropped out early Sunday morning after reaching mile 78.

In a phone interview, Swanson said she was exhausted, running on blisters and barely making the cutoff times at key stops along the course west of Lake Tahoe, California.

“I wasn’t quite as fast to start with as I was last year,” she said. “I had to adjust my expectations as to when I would arrive at certain aid stations, and it was closer to the cutoff time.”

Swanson said she felt she had to push hard through every leg of the race.

“Throughout the whole race, I was running under pressure,” she said. “There was no time to ever slow down a bit or even look up and enjoy the scenery for a minute.”

The pressure and “mental wear and tear,” as well as some blistering that started around mile 30, took a toll, she said.

When Swanson reached the Rucky Chucky river crossing at mile 78 knowing she had to ford the cold stream in the middle of the night, she knew it was time to throw in the towel.

“I decided I just can’t go any farther,” she said. “I had given it my all. I was physically worn out.”

Swanson gained prominence a year ago when she became the first 70-year-old woman to finish the grueling race – a mere six seconds before the 30-hour deadline.

Swanson said the “social pressure” from many fans and well-wishers added to the stress of this year’s attempt.

“It put so much pressure on me. I never had any down time to actually decompress and just focus on my job that I was about to do,” she said.

Swanson, a runner since 1977, first ran Western States in 2002. In 2005, she captured her first age-group record at age 60.