The Marathon Runner

At 5:30 every morning, while most of her neighbors are still asleep, Ms. Alvarez ties her running shoes and goes out into the quiet streets of San Diego. She has been running for more than thirty years. Next month, at the age of sixty-five, she will run her twentieth marathon.

Alvarez did not start as an athlete. She began running at thirty-four, after her doctor told her to exercise for her health. 'My first run was terrible,' she laughs. 'I ran for four minutes and walked for twenty.' But she kept a simple rule: never miss a Monday. Small runs became long runs, and long runs became races.

Her training plan is written on a card above her kitchen table: run, rest, repeat. Training is not always easy. Two years ago, she hurt her knee and could not run for five months. Her family thought she might retire, but Alvarez walked every day and did her exercises, and slowly returned. 'My grandchildren think I am a superhero,' she says. 'I am not. I am just stubborn.'

She also runs for charity. In every marathon, she raises money for the children's hospital where her daughter works as a nurse. This year, her goal is $10,000. When she crosses the finish line next month, twenty young patients will be watching on a video call, wearing T-shirts with her name. The nurses say she inspires the whole ward.