Less than 1% of the general population has run a marathon.
Gloria Vasquez has run 95 of them.
And that’s not enough for the indefatigable 74-year-old runner from Florida, who is on a mission to run 100 marathons before the age of 100.
It’s a goal that Vasquez set after accomplishing a previous goal to run 50 of the 26.2-mile races by the age of 60.
She now has that 100-race milestone in sight as she prepares for marathon No. 96 this weekend: the Mount Desert Island Marathon that starts in Bar Harbor on Sunday.
“I’m almost to the end, and I just love to run,” Vasquez told the Bangor Daily News on Thursday about nearing that lofty goal.
She chose to run in the MDI marathon because a niece who lives in Maine wanted to try the half marathon, and Vasquez said she would join for the event.
“Goals keep me going,” Vasquez said.
She hopes to knock out the four remaining marathons after Sunday’s race by completing one or two per year.
“Let’s see how I feel,” she added.
This will be her second marathon in Maine, having previously completed the Maine Marathon in the Portland area in 2006.
Her first 26.2-mile race was the New York City Marathon, which she participated in as a prize for winning a smaller race.
“And I was hooked with the marathons,” she recalled.
She would love to do her 100th marathon back in New York City, where it all started.
As for others who may be attempting a marathon for the first time this weekend in Bar Harbor, the experienced runner has some advice.
“Just relax and enjoy the race,” Vasquez offered. “That’s what I always do, I enjoy it.”
It also doesn’t hurt that she never stops training.
“I never quit, no matter how hard it is,” she added.
And that doesn’t just apply to marathons, either. Vasquez is also in the midst of trying to complete the Appalachian Trail in pieces over time. She’s hoping to dedicate more time to that goal once she’s completed her marathon mission.
“If you love to do what you do, you just keep going,” she said.
