Saskatchewan trailblazer continues to break running records at age 80

For Regina pioneer Carol Lafayette-Boyd, age is just a number. Earlier this month, she broke her new world record, becoming the fastest woman in the world at her 80.

It was her 13th world record ever. She crossed her line to finish in her 34.90 seconds in her 200m race, breaking her previous world record by nearly half a second.

"I'm happy to see that she's doing better in her age group than she did last week, so it's really nice to set her record," said Lafayette-Boyd.

She said she trains with a great young coach because she works out with a group of under-16s. "They expect us to perform about the same as players under the age of 16."

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Lafayette -Boyd grew up in Rosetown and now lives in Regina. She is also her great-grandmother and is well-liked in the track and field world.

Before she turned 50, Lafayette-Boyd and her husband believed that older people could only run long-distance races such as marathons and miles. "We thought we'd try the mile. We were working on it when we found out there was a Canadian Masters match in Regina," she said. } When she found out seniors could do track and field, she enrolled and won her first two races in the 100m and 200m.

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“I was hooked. and she was going to the Olympics in Atlanta.I told myself I would be able to run like LaDonna.

Lafayette-Boyd has no plans to take off her boots. I consider myself racing for ten years.

When asked how she prepares for the next race, she said: I think I am, but physically I'm trying to eat and sleep."

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If she has to rush out the door Aside from that, I added that one of the things I try to do every day is stretching and planking, which takes about 30 minutes each morning. She said when she started the plank she could do it for 3 seconds, but now she can hold it for 90 seconds.

Lafayette-Boyd says she is now spending time with her family and her grandchildren. She will start preparing for her indoor races starting in September as she has a chance to break the indoor record.

"So get in shape, eat well, sleep well, and be ready."

— With file by Teagan Rasche.

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