Sad…Oldest Woman To Run NY Marathon Dies One Day After At Age 86 Ms. Bels Wednesday, November 6, 2013 The Receipt There are stories like this that can’t help but tug at your heart. 🙁 Joy Johnson, an 86 year old runner from California, took her last breathe a day after completing the New York Marathon. Sunday’s marathon made it her 25th time participating in one of the New York’s biggest events. Johnson was celebrated by her running peers and by Al Roker of the ‘Today’ show as being the oldest woman to run during last weekend’s race. Reports state that Johnson had fallen and hit her head around the 20th mile. But, after a few checks and head bandages were applied, she told paramedics that she was feeling okay and wanted to finish the race. The next morning Johnson and her sister went over to the Rockefeller Center and stood in the ‘Today’ show crowd (like they normally do each year). This year, she got the opportunity to actually speak with Roker (see picture below). After returning to their hotel room at the Roosevelt in Manhattan, Johnson told her sister she was tired and wanted to lay down. Unfortunately, she didn’t wake back up. Johnson was later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. The 86 year old lady’s story is a heart felt one. Her daughter, Diana Boydston, told reporters that running is how she wanted to go. Boydston says that her mother took up running 25 years ago after she retired. She was known as the running lady in her neighborhood. At one point, she would run up to 15 miles per day. But she always knew that when she died, her death would be coincide with her love for running. “I always say I’m going to run until I drop,” she said. “I’m going to die in my tennis shoes. I just don’t know when I’m going to quit.” To read her full story, click HERE.
