FORT SMITH, Ark. — Age and miles are just a number for runner Mary Jo Brinkman.
The 82-year-old completed the Abbott World Marathon Majors, earning her the Six Star Medal.
"I started running probably in my late 50s," Brinkman said.
Brinkman said she didn't begin running to achieve the Six Star; she didn't even know it existed. The Fort Smith woman started running to volunteer with a friend to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In 2006, they ran Brinkman's first marathon in San Diego.
She continued to train and run with her colleagues at the Marvin Altman Fitness Center. She would also join runs with the group Facebook group Western Arkansas Runners.
"We would run out on the streets of Fort Smith and I would be the slowest," Brinkman said. "That's one reason I can run is because I have support from so many."
Brinkman qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2007 and then ran in New York that same year. In 2016, she completed her U.S. portion of the Abbot World Marathon Major in Chicago. With the help of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, she received her bibs to run in the 2017 London Marathon and the 2022 Berlin Marathon. In early March, Brinkman returned to Fort Smith as a medal holder after running her "hardest race" in Tokyo, Japan.
Brinkman said that it was difficult to attain a bib for Tokyo. "They do not give very many United States entries, and especially for those of us who don't run as fast as the elite. So, you know, it took a while to get that entry. But I was thrilled to get it through the marathon world travel organization," she said.
Brinkman was not alone on her trip to Tokyo with continued support from Arkansas. She said her yoga instructor's daughter would do yoga with her every morning. She joined Brinkman's other children and grandchildren in Tokyo to root the Six Star Runner.
"[It] meant so much to me, they had to get on the trains and on the subways to find their way around Tokyo. And they found me four times on the route. And that's the first time that that's ever happened," Brinkman said.
Brinkman doesn't want her physical achievement to be the end of it. The 82-year-old grandma says it's helped her physically, mentally, spiritually, and overall health. She encourages everyone to embark on their own health journey.
"It is very hard to start. I couldn't run one time around this track out here without just being exhausted," Brinkman said. "I think that running is good for anyone. But walking is also good. And just doing some type of exercise is important. "
Brinkman also helps run The Stampede Run in Fort Smith. This year's run will be on Sept. 21.
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