Christine Kennedy, 60, one of the world’s leading age-group runners, is back in training after a life-threatening accident in June that has delayed her attempt at achieving another landmark performance in the marathon.
Kennedy, the oldest woman to break three hours in the marathon—at 59 she ran 2:59:39 last October at Twin Cities—was hoping to run Chicago this fall and try to become the first woman 60 or older to break 3:00.
But Kennedy, who was born in Ireland and moved to the U.S. in 1990, feels lucky to be alive after falling from her apartment porch in Los Gatos, California, on June 22 and crashing 12 feet to the ground below. Kennedy suffered a fractured skull and concussion. If not for the strength and musculature that has brought her scores of championship victories since she began running in 1981 at the age of 36, Kennedy’s injuries might have been fatal, according to her doctors.
“I dodged a bullet,” said Kennedy, who at the time of the accident was logging 80 miles a week to prepare for Chicago.
The day of her accident, a construction company was working on the walkway and first-floor deck of the two-story dwelling where Kennedy lives. Kennedy said that there were no warning signs alerting residents not to walk in certain areas of the building. Nor were there barricades blocking entrance into the areas that were unsafe. She walked out onto her deck, which was connected to the walkway and not secure. Kennedy fell through a loose board, landing on her back, hitting her head.
A construction worker saw the fall and called for help. “I don’t remember anything,” Kennedy said. “I woke up after being unconscious for an hour and was lying on a stretcher in the emergency room with an IV in me.”
Kennedy was unable to lift her head. She was dizzy and nauseous and in shock. After Kennedy was moved from the emergency wing of the ER to the recovery section, she heard doctors saying to one another in amazement, “We have this 60-year-old lady who fell 12 feet, and she has no spinal injuries and only a fractured skull. It’s hard to believe she survived.”
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After Kennedy was able to lift herself out of bed and walk a few steps, doctors released her at 7 p.m. that same day. Kennedy’s cousin took her to her home in Redwood City, about 40 minutes away, to recuperate. Kennedy struggled to walk stairs and was unable to drive for two weeks.
The doctors had not given Kennedy any specific guidelines about running, only to proceed if she felt up to it. About a month after the accident, in late July, Kennedy tried to run. “I could hardly run a mile,” she said. “I was out of breath. My neck and back muscles were in spasm. My whole body ached. It was a huge shock to me.” She decided instead to run in a swimming pool and also use an elliptical machine.
It was a harsh reality for Kennedy, who had run a 31:37 8K on February 22 to win her first USA national 60–64 title by four minutes. She also ran a 19:10 5K at Carlsbad on March 29.
Ten days after that first mile effort, Kennedy ran three miles, stopping to walk after each mile. She nurtured that approach for a week, running nine-minute miles. The next week, she added a few more miles at eight-minute pace. Soon Kennedy started to feel her legs under her and was able to run three to four miles at close to seven-minute pace.
Still, she was impatient. So impatient that Kennedy did something foolish but seemed to get away with it. She jumped into a double road race (a 10K, followed by a short rest, then a 5K) on August 22 in San Jose. Kennedy positioned herself mid-pack and ran through the 10K and 5K, she said, at eight-minute pace.
“Maybe it was crazy, but I just wanted to participate,” she said.
Kennedy apparently suffered no ill effects but recognized that she couldn’t possibly be marathon-ready for Chicago on October 11. So Kennedy has made plans to run the California International Marathon on December 6 in Sacramento. She feels confident that with a full fall season of training, she will be fit enough by then to have a good shot at sub-3:00. Kennedy plans to do the Big Sur Half-Marathon in Monterey on November 8 as a tune-up.
Kennedy emerged as a leading marathoner in the early 1990s. She won Dublin in 1990 and ’91 and ran her lifetime PR of 2:35:05 at Berlin, also in ’91. Kennedy’s other major titles include the 55–59 5,000 meters and marathon at the 2011 world masters track and field championships, held that year in Sacramento. Kennedy’s best age-graded performance came in the 2013 Boston Marathon. At 58, she ran 2:55:01, rated 102.50 percent.
The emotional ordeal of the accident together with the recent arrival of two grandchildren—both of her daughters who live in London recently gave birth to their first children—has made Kennedy feel a longing to be with her family. She plans to move to London at the end of the year, after her December marathon. “I’ll be home for Christmas,” she said.
In the meantime, Kennedy has retained an attorney to look into her legal options in connection with the construction company.
Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.
