At 80, Mildred Baker Is Running Her First NYC Marathon

Mildred Baker, 80, a retired executive assistant who moved to New York in the 1970s, will take on her first TCS New York City Marathon on November 1 alongside more than 60,000 other runners. Baker discovered distance running only three years ago when she joined the New York Road Runners' free Striders programme, which introduces older adults to walking and jogging. Despite having played basketball, volleyball, and track in high school, she had never attempted anything close to 26.2 miles. Within two years she completed 13 NYRR races, including a half marathon at the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half. To prepare for the full marathon she followed a structured '2:2:1 rule' — alternating two minutes of brisk walking, two minutes of jogging, and one minute of normal walking — while prioritising rest and strength training. She credits the NYRR Striders community for giving her the support to pursue such an ambitious goal at her age. 'If there is something you really want to do in life, you can achieve it at 80 years old,' Baker said ahead of the race.