runABC South salutes Gina Little (77) who has just become the oldest person to secure the coveted World Marathon Majors Six Star Finisher Medal having completed her sixth qualifying marathon in Chicago in 4:37:15 last month – just two weeks after clocking up another extraordinary milestone of 600 marathons in Berlin (4:33:50) and one week after running her 38th London Marathon in 4:54:02!

The indefatigable septuagenarian is a member of Plumstead Runners and the 100 Marathon Club – naturally enough – and has also found time to clock up more than 150 parkruns, mostly at her home event in Greenwich, where her best time of 25:12 was recorded in 2011 and her top age-grading (90.9%) was achieved with 27:40 in September this year. 

Gina is a sub-four-hour marathon runner with a recent best of 3:55:44 in 2008 at Berlin when she was a mere W60 master but already on her way towards those impressive numbers listed above. Chicago Marathon, on Sunday 9 October 2022, was her 602nd and completed her Six Star Finisher Medal – the special award given to anyone who finishes all six of the Marathon Majors (Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Berlin and Tokyo). 

Gina tends to average two marathons a month and ran her first London Marathon in 1983; set her PB there (3:26) aged 48 in 1993 and has run the most London Marathons to date by any woman competitor. She was first inspired to run London after watching the 1982 race as it passed the top of her home street in the capital.

Running marathons has taken Gina to 46 countries and 22 islands, including Hawaii and New Zealand. She plans to add the Spanish island of Lanzarote to her list by running the Lanzarote International Marathon on 3rd December.

Gina is always accompanied on her travels by her husband, chief cheerleader and bag carrier Ray and in Chicago was joined by six club members and their partners for a well-deserved post-race celebration.

Gina might be just 5'0" tall and just over seven stone but when it comes to racing multiple marathons she's a Little superstar!

Image of Gina Little at Chicago Marathon courtesy Abbott World Marathon Majors