Woman Starts Running at 35, Breaks World Record by 51

Susie Chan thought she was having a heart attack during her first run at age 35, stopping multiple times just to reach a nearby park. Sixteen years later, she holds a world record and has conquered some of the planet's most brutal ultramarathons.

The London woman started running to counteract heavy drinking during a dark period when her husband's gambling addiction threatened their home. Her brother convinced her to sign up for a half marathon, despite having never run more than a few minutes. She crossed that first finish line hungover and exhausted but felt more accomplished than ever before.

That feeling became her lifeline. When anxiety kept her awake at night worrying about debt collectors, she remembered how running let her forget her troubles and feel in control again. She discovered ultramarathons and set her sights on the Marathon des Sables, a six-day, self-sufficient race across the Sahara Desert.

In 2013, Chan completed her first Marathon des Sables, running through relentless sun and climbing vertical dunes with bleeding feet. She flew home from the desert a different person. She would return three more times, becoming the British woman with the most completions of this iconic race.

Between major ultramarathons, Chan knocked out all six World Marathon Majors between 2014 and 2017. In one incredible stretch, she ran London and Boston marathons a week apart, then completed a 100-mile race less than two weeks later.

The records kept falling. In 2017, she broke the female 12-hour treadmill world record by running 68.5 miles, pausing only to vomit into a bucket before continuing. She never considered stopping.

Two days after completing her sixth World Marathon Major in Chicago, doctors called with news of a 7cm cancerous growth on her thyroid. She needed two surgeries, but just two weeks after her second operation, she was racing again.

Why This Inspires

Chan's story demolishes the myth that athletic greatness requires early starts or perfect circumstances. She discovered running during one of the worst periods of her life and transformed it into a source of strength that carried her through addiction, debt, cancer, and raising a daughter as a single mother.

Now 51, she achieved her ultimate dream in 2023 by completing Badwater 135, running 135 miles through Death Valley in under 48 hours. Standing near the finish line after 12 years of working toward this moment, she realized she had reached the pinnacle of her running career.

Chan proves that the finish line keeps moving forward when you refuse to give up.