Gold medal-winning runner dies at 108

A mother-of-four who picked up the sport of running at age 100 and went on to set world records and win gold medals has died at the age of 108.
Julia Hawkins, nicknamed “Hurricane” for her running prowess, died on Oct. 22 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after a “very short illness,” her daughter, Margaret Matens, confirmed to ABC News.
Matens said that Hawkins’ body would be donated, at her request, to the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, which is studying longevity.
“She had quite a run,” Matens said of the extraordinary life of her mom, who is survived by her four children as well as three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Hawkins told “Good Morning America” in 2019 that she turned to running at age 100 as an alternative to competitive cycling, a sport in which she also won multiple national titles after picking it up later in life.
Among other titles, Hawkins set a world record in the 100-meter dash at the 2017 National Senior Games.
Two years later, at the 2019 National Senior Games, Hawkins won gold medals in both the 50-meter dash and the 100-meter dash in the women’s 100-plus division.
At the time, Hawkins was believed to be the oldest woman to compete on an American track, according to the National Senior Games Association, the non-profit organization that runs the National Senior Games.
“I just keep busy. I keep moving,” Hawkins told “GMA” in 2019 about her secret to longevity. “I don’t do any exercises particularly. I used to, but I don’t think I need to anymore.”
“I’ve always been careful how I eat, eat healthy and keep my weight at a certain point,” she added.
Matens said Hawkins also attributed her longevity to her many passions, which included fly fishing, gardening, reading, raising bonsai trees and watching Louisiana State University football.
Hawkins’ late husband, who died in 2013 at the age of 95, was a professor at LSU, according to Matens.
Hawkins ran her last race three years ago at the age of 105 in her home state of Louisiana.
According to Matens, she set a new record during the race as the only woman in the 105-109 age group to run the 100-meter dash.