Nancy Will

"Age is just a number" says Pinelander Nancy Will who turned 70 last year in October. A long time member of the Pinelands Athletic Club, Nancy has continued her streak of record breaking runs and hopes to continue her success into 2023 and along the way, encourage others to keep running.

BREAKING RECORDS AT 70!!

Nancy Will, member of the Pinelands Athletic Club, turned 70 on 2 October 2022. She was dreading getting to the 70+ Running Age-Category as it sounded so OLD and DECREPIT!! However, in the running world, it has already had some perks!! Nancy broke the South African and Western Province 10km Record, in the 70+ age category, of 49:42 at the Ommiedraai 10km Race on 9 October running 49:01. She set an even faster Record Time at the SPAR Grand Prix Elite 10km Race on 23 Oct running 48:52!!

SA AND WP RECORDS TUMBLE

Another South African and Western Province Record tumbled when she ran the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on 16 October in a time of 3:44:34 breaking the existing 70+ age category record of 3:58:10. Little did Nancy realize that the 70+ World Record Holder over this distance, Jeannie Rice from the USA, was also running and at one stage had been a mere 4 seconds behind her. But Jeannie dropped back and finished more than 15 minutes behind Nancy. Nancy’s time is the sixth fastest in the world over this distance for a 70+ female runner. Three faster times run by Jeannie Rice and two by Helga Miketta from Germany, puts her as the 3rd fastest 70+ in the World!!!

Nancy Is On A Record Breaking Roll

Yet another Western Province Record fell at the Don Lock 15km Race on 30 October when she ran 79:20 breaking the previous record of 81:06. Then at the Titan’s Mitchell Plain Race on the 19 th November she broke the 70+ 21.1km SA and WP Record, in a time of 1:47:01. The previous record was 1:47:55. Following on, Nancy broke the SA plus WP record for the 15km AVBOB race in Tableview on Saturday 10 December with a time of 76:09.

Numerous Races Under Her Belt

Nancy is not new to running and has been a member of the Pinelands Athletic Club for 30 years. She serves on the Pinelands Athletic Club Committee and is a member of the WPA Road Running Commission. Nancy has represented Western Province regularly throughout her running career at South African Championships in all Road Running and Cross Country Events. She has run 20 Two Oceans 56km Races and 7 Comrades Marathons. The last run was in 2017 with her sons Donovan and Damian also participating. She recorded a new 6069 age category World Best Time of 4:12:55 for 50km in June 2015 at the Two Oceans Marathon. She set a 63 year old World Single Age Record of 2:23:30 for 30km in January 2016. Among her highlights in 2022 was her overall win at the Mauritius Marathon.

"Being retired has given me the freedom to train when it suits me, and not having to get up to train at 5:15 in the morning as I did when I worked. I don't follow any special diet. My pre-race meal is banana, honey and peanut butter toast. Daily supplements: calcium, magnesium and vitamin C."

Nancy still holds the following records: South African and Western Province

• 10km 37:12 1994

• 15km 56:54 1994

• 21.1km 82:01 1995

• 30km 2:02:47 1995

• 42.2km 2:54:39 1995

• 56km 4:08:54 1995

• COMRADES 7:12:34 1995

Her goal for 2023 is to inspire all to keep running as age is just a number, to attempt to break all the 70+ records and especially to represent Western Province at all the South African Road Running Championships.

Wishing you every success Nancy! 

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