125:, Irvine began jogging in 1978. She did so on the recommendation of a niece, who was concerned about Irvine's condition physically. While on a religious retreat, Irvine ran for the first time, and was quickly able to cover a distance of two miles in a session. Her initial strategy was to alternate between walking and running, depending on the availability of shade. Within four months of starting to run, she was posting times of seven minutes per mile in her two-mile runs, and soon she started entering five-kilometer and 10-kilometer races. Irvine's first race at a longer distance was a 15-kilometer run at a park; she posted the second-fastest time among the women who took part. In 1980, she joined her niece in running at the Avenue of the Giants Marathon, posting a time of 3:01. Irvine then started to regularly take part in marathons, at the rate of four per year. In addition, she hired a coach in 1982. In the previous year, Irvine had run in the
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137:, California. Her time of 2:51.01 set a world record for female runners over 50; it was over eight seconds faster than the previous record time, which she held, and about 13 minutes ahead of the next-fastest time by an over-50 woman. The time also bettered the 2:51.16 that was required to participate in the
178:, but her time of 1:59.53 was approximately half an hour slower than she anticipated. Following the race, she retired from competition. Although Irvine no longer ran a competitive schedule, she continued to train for running, at a reduced rate, and took up other sports, including rowing. She often
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With her travel costs covered by Nike, she entered marathons in Europe as well as the U.S., and occasionally took part in track events. In one event held in Europe, the 1985 World
Veterans Games in Rome, Italy, Irvine earned four medals: one gold and three silver. As Irvine grew older, she broke
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in track and field in 1984, when she was 54 years old. Following the Trials, she regularly ran on the marathon circuit and gained attention from the media, along with the nickname "The Flying Nun". Irvine broke numerous age-group records in distance running events during her career, and has been
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Many records for female runners over 50 years old were set by Irvine. She was the first woman in her age group to run for under 20 minutes in the 5-kilometer run, 38 minutes in the 10-km, and 3:00 in the marathon. In 1983, Irvine competed in the
California International Marathon, held in
113:, she received a biology degree; afterward she became a high school teacher. Irvine spent more than 20 years as a teacher and school administrator in California, and worked for the Dominican Sisters in the role of supervisor of the organization's schools for six years.
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further age-group records for 55–59- and 60–64-year-old female runners. At the 1989 World
Veterans Games, she won five gold medals. In the fall of 1989, Irvine broke her right leg while training, forcing her into an extended break from running.
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Irvine was born in San
Francisco, California. At St. Rose Academy, she became interested in becoming a nun; in 2007, Irvine said that she "fell in love with the life" at St. Rose. Under the name Sister Bonaventure, Irvine became a nun in the
145:, Irvine posted a time of 2:52.02, and was not one of the qualifiers. Of the 268 women who ran at the Trials, she ended up in 131st place. Regarding the experience, Irvine said, "I knew the trials would be my Olympics."
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141:. At the time, Irvine was the oldest competitor ever in a U.S. track and field Olympic Trials; by the time of the Trials, she was 54 years old. In the 1984 Trials, which qualified runners for the
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During her career, Irvine was recognized as the leading runner in her age group eight times between 1981 and 1992. Irvine gained induction into the
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Nicknamed "The Flying Nun", Irvine gained recognition from her U.S. Olympic Trials run. She made appearances on the television programs
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Irvine spent the years after the end of her running career campaigning for social issues, and credited her attendance at the
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Prior to the time that she started to run, Irvine did not regularly exercise. After a brief period in which she took up
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as the driving factor behind her involvement. She has been a critic of the death penalty, globalization, and the
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Zavoral, Nolan (January 28, 1990). "She's a nun on the run // Flying Nun has nothing on Sister Marion Irvine".
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Woody, Doyle (August 11, 1985). "Sister turns cigarette addiction into a running addiction".
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Eck, Beth M. (July 2000). "Catching up with ... Sister Marion Irvine".
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McHugh, Paul (May 19, 1994). "Running
Religiously Its Own Reward".
209:. Irvine is featured in the 1987 Oscar-nominated documentary film,
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runner. Irvine became the then-oldest person to participate in the
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First
Marathons: Personal Encounters With the 26.2-Mile Monster
448:"Barry Spitz: The Flying Nun still out and about around Marin"
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In 1993, Irvine ran her final competitive race. She ran in a
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484:. United Press International. December 8, 1983. p. D-1
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American nun and former marathon runner (born 1929)
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507:"54-year-old nun to run marathon in Olympic trial"
205:Hall of Fame in 1994. In addition, she is in the
96:inducted into multiple running halls of fame.
416:"Boston Marathon: Women's veterans champions"
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513:. Associated Press. May 12, 1984. p. 13
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789:Track and field athletes from San Francisco
670:Bergquist, Lee (2009). "A Champion Again".
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722:Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running
614:"Masters Age Division Runners of the Year"
478:"Woman runner proves there's 'nun' better"
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779:Dominican University of California alumni
759:21st-century American Roman Catholic nuns
754:20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns
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83:(born October 19, 1929) is an American
718:"Sister Marion Irvine: The Flying Nun"
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187:1999 World Trade Organization protests
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716:Lin, Jennifer; Warner, Susan (2009).
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586:Winchester, Ed (February 22, 2002).
561:Lin and Warner, chapter 2, pp. 4–5.
396:Lin and Warner, chapter 2, pp. 2–3.
387:Lin and Warner, chapter 2, pp. 1–2.
364:"The Greats: Sister Marion Irvine"
313:"Sister Marion, a get-it-done nun"
143:inaugural Olympic women's marathon
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769:American female marathon runners
534:Lin and Warner, chapter 2, p. 4.
405:Lin and Warner, chapter 2, p. 3.
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446:Spitz, Barry (March 22, 2008).
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724:. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
588:"The rise of the Erg Nation"
362:Tymn, Mike (March 2, 2010).
203:Road Runners Club of America
139:United States Olympic Trials
93:United States Olympic Trials
592:The Independent Rowing News
311:Rogers, Rob (May 7, 2007).
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207:USATF Masters Hall of Fame
100:Early life and work career
452:Marin Independent Journal
317:Marin Independent Journal
693:Kislevitz, Gail (1999).
616:. USA Track & Field
573:San Francisco Chronicle
511:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
157:The Phil Donahue Show
678:. Human Kinetics 1.
344:Anchorage Daily News
151:Good Morning America
29:Personal information
701:. Breakaway Books.
182:with an ergometer.
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482:The Bend Bulletin
111:Dominican College
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51:San Francisco
46:(age 94)
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618:. Retrieved
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517:December 30,
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749:1929 births
674:Second Wind
653:Bergquist,
286:Kislevitz,
251:Catholicism
87:and former
743:Categories
620:January 9,
457:January 8,
422:January 9,
373:January 7,
322:January 7,
270:References
263:California
168:Nike, Inc.
135:Sacramento
40:1929-10-19
239:Biography
643:(7): 18.
598:April 4,
219:See also
191:Iraq War
123:swimming
89:marathon
225:Portals
71:Retired
63:Country
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655:p. 145
288:p. 139
197:Legacy
160:, and
163:Today
109:. At
58:Sport
726:ISBN
703:ISBN
680:ISBN
622:2013
600:2013
594:: 40
519:2020
490:2020
459:2013
424:2013
375:2013
324:2013
74:1993
34:Born
85:nun
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
