Massachusetts

This 91-Year-Old Woman Just Broke the 400-Meter World Record

New England Tennis Hall of Famer Diane Hoffman can now add world-record runner to her impressive resume

At 91 years old, Diane Hoffman of Chestnut Hill racked up several records at a Massachusetts track meet this weekend.

She picked up the world record time for the 400-meter, clocking in at 2 minutes, 44.25 seconds. That time shattered the previous record, set in 2015, by 2.31 seconds.

Hoffman broke U.S. records for the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. She ran those in 24.19 seconds and 56.33 seconds respectively.

Despite her world-class athletic achievements, Hoffman admits her day starts off a little slow.

“It’s horrible when I wake up. I only want to stay in bed all days,” she says.

She jumps on a trampoline in the morning, which, according to Hoffman, gets her heart pounding. She refuses to use her treadmill, though, leaving it unplugged and collecting dust in her home.

An athlete at heart, Hoffman’s real passion is tennis. When she was 42 years old, she picked up a racket and won the first tournament she competed in.

She continued to win championships and was inducted into the U.S. Tennis Association's New England Hall of Fame in 2011.

Her running career only started when her son noticed that she walked fast. She ran and came close to the U.S. record. He then began looking for meets.

However, if it came between choosing running or tennis, Hoffman says she would choose tennis. 

"Do I have to tell you the truth?" is what Hoffman said when asked how she felt about running.

Hoffman’s record-setting performance took place at the USATF New England Open & Masters Championship held at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. She competed in the woman’s 90-94 year-old division.

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