495. Betty Lindberg, 97-Year-Old World Record Holder

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Run, Health & Fitness, Women, Inspiration, Runner, Entrepreneur, Sports, Fitness, Health, Running

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2022

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"That Saturday when I set the record and I was in the tent waiting for them to start the awards ceremony, dozens of people came up to talk to me, and they were from all over the United States! I couldn’t imagine why. I’m just doing what I like to do!"

Betty Lindberg is a local legend in her hometown of Atlanta, GA. She started running at 63 years old, and now, at 97, she's breaking world records. Last month, Betty ran the USATF Master's 5K Championships in Atlanta, and set a new world record for the 95–99 age group. (She finished in 55:48, smashing the previous record by more than 30 minutes.) Breaking that record was no accident: Betty is fiercely competitive (mostly with herself), and she takes her training seriously. (She works out six days a week. On the seventh day, she rests and enjoys her weekly hair appointment.) In this conversation, Betty shares her running story, talks about where her competitive drive comes from, and talks about her mid-race mimosa stops at the Peachtree Road Race every year. She's a legend for a reason!

SPONSORS:

Shokz — Use code OTR15 for 15% off wireless headphones.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race — In-person registration for the July 4th event is now open! Click the link to register for this historic (Betty-endorsed!) 10K today.

What you’ll get on this episode:

On being a local legend (5:20)
Betty’s competitive nature, and what it was like when she broke her first world record at age 91 (7:45)
What Betty’s training and workouts are like (9:30)
All about the day Betty broke the 5K record (12:30)
How Betty celebrated her record (17:30)
How Betty started running — at age 63! (19:15)
On growing up in the 1930s: “You didn’t take part in any sports!” (23:15)
Why Betty wanted to run a half marathon (26:00)
Why Betty loves virtual racing (29:00)
The hip replacement that got Betty running again (37:00)
All about Betty’s workouts and favorite classes at the gym (40:00)
Betty’s advice for how to keep running into our late nineties (44:00)
What Betty is proudest of, and her advice for loving running (49:00)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Alley on the Run Show.
0:06.4	I'm your host Allie Theller and every week I talk with people who are doing very exciting
0:11.3	things on the run and beyond.
0:14.2	We all share that love for running and that's what brings us all together.
0:18.0	But of course, there is more to life than what happens on the run itself.
0:21.8	And the show is all about those in-betweens.
0:24.4	We're talking about the moments and decisions that have shaped who we are today and the
0:29.0	guys.
0:30.0	Why do we do what we do and how does getting sweaty factor in?
0:34.2	My guest today is the legendary Betty Lindbergh.
0:39.6	Betty started running when she was 63 years old and two weeks ago, at age 97, she earned
0:47.2	herself a world record.
0:49.4	Betty raised the USATF Masters 5K championships in Atlanta, finishing in 55 minutes and 48
0:57.6	seconds.
0:58.6	She took more than 30 minutes off the previous record for the 95 to 99 age group.
1:05.5	And that was no accident.
1:07.1	Betty is fiercely competitive, mostly with herself as you'll hear in this conversation.
1:12.5	She is a local celebrity in Atlanta, fans line up to take photos with her at the finish
1:17.7	line.
1:18.7	She races the peach tree road race every year, famously stopping for a sip of a mimosa from
1:24.0	her family along the way, and truly it was such an honor to get to have this conversation
1:29.1	with Betty.
	...

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