Published December 18. 2020 8:06AM
Amy LaBossiere, Special to The Times
For her 90th birthday, Florence Huntington’s twin sons encouraged her to beat the world record for the 5-kilometer track run.
On Sept. 19, Huntington ran the distance, which translates to about 3.1 miles, in 54 minutes and 55 seconds, missing her goal by 9 seconds.
It didn’t end there. For the next two months, Huntington walked on hilly roads 4.5 miles a day, six days a week, to improve her endurance and speed.
On Nov. 14, Huntington went with her children Robert, Ross, and Susan, to the West Valley School track in Knoxville, Tenn. She finished the 5K in 53:45.54, more than a minute better than the existing world record for females over the age of 90 (54:46.35, set by Margaret Hagerty in 2013).