What’s the best way to celebrate living to 100? By attempting to break the 100-metre dash record, of course.
And that’s exactly what Ella Mae Colbert appears to have done on May 17 in South Carolina.
“I’d been running from high school,” said Colbert to CBS affiliate, WSPA News.
She also said three-mile walks and taking care of her niece and nephews keeps her busy and active.
WATCH: A 100-year-old South Carolina woman decided to mark her birthday by attempting to break the 100-metre dash record. Nickelle Smith reports.
So, with a crowd of students from Chesnee Middle School and her family cheering and looking on, Colbert ran the school’s track to set out to beat the one-minute and 17 seconds record, cited by Guinness World Records, as the fastest 100-metres run by a woman 100 or older.
On the first attempt, Colbert fell and seemed to have injured her chin.
“I think I started off too fast,” she told WSPA. “You’ll have some trials and you’ll have some things get in your way but you don’t let it get you down. Get up again.”
However, after receiving a bandage for her injury, she attempted the dash a second time and finished in 46 seconds.
Colbert’s nephew has applied to Guinness World Records for his aunt’s moment to be made official.
Colbert also had some words of wisdom to share to the crowd:
“Always look straight ahead and they’ll wonder how you got to the goal so fast … I want you to do your best so when you get to my age, you’ll be running too.”