The 77-year-old marathon runner who astonishes science with her aging style

The story of 77-year-old Jeannie Rice is making waves around the world, just as her legs have. The athlete is being studied by researchers at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.

Her case is exceptional, as she has run the Boston Marathon, as well as, in the women's 75-79 age category, breaking world records in distances ranging from 1,500 meters to the marathon (42.195 meters). See more: The list of ancient and cruel torture methods used, according to AI Researcher Michele Zanini told BBC Mundo, in the middle of the analysis he made of the athlete, that:

" The incredible thing about her data is that her VO2 max is probably higher than even 25-year-old women ."

VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can absorb, use, and transport when performing physical activity.

According to the researcher, who is the author of the study, the athlete was analyzed six days after her participation in the London Marathon in 2024: " She had just broken the world record in her category. So it was a very good time for us to understand how her body behaves . We focused on the physiological determinants of exceptional performance ." See more: On video: Humanoid robot acts violently and hits people Rice is originally from South Korea and is the mother of two children, aged 50 and 52, respectively. But she spent her life in the United States.

She started running after a vacation to lose a few extra pounds, and then she turned it into something more professional: " I started jogging around the block, and then, without realizing it , I was running longer and longer distances. First 3.4 kilometers, then 8. "

She then joined a community running club with whom she trained. She signed up for her first race: the Cleveland Marathon in 1983. " I ran it in 3 hours 45 minutes. That's when I knew I could do it, and so I started training a little harder."

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She then ran the Columbus Marathon in 3 hours and 16 minutes, qualifying for the Boston Marathon. " That's when I was hooked. I've been running marathons ever since ." She also won international races. " It wasn't just about running in a competition anymore, it was about the excitement of traveling to another country ."

The 77-year-old woman was asked to train as she normally does. " It's based on three parameters: maximal oxygen uptake, that is, the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use. That allows us to evaluate exercise economy and running economy, that is, how that oxygen translates into speed and physiological thresholds ."

" It's based on three parameters: maximum oxygen uptake, that is, the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use. This allows us to evaluate exercise economy and running economy, that is, how that oxygen translates into speed and physiological thresholds ," the researchers explained.

Rice said she now hopes to break her own record at the Sydney Marathon. "I hope to stay healthy so that when I'm 80, I can still run a good marathon."

The analysis results revealed that Rice's physical condition is "almost as young as that of a 25-year-old woman ." See more: She went out partying and when she came back she owed 187 billion pesos: this is the story

The study, titled 'Case report of a female world record holder from 1500m to marathon in the 75+ age group', noted: " The highest VO2 max ever recorded in women over 75 years of age and exceptional (oxygen) utilization, consistent with metabolic thresholds and marathon speed, comparable to younger world-class distance runners ."

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