老當益壯! 你可能跑不過這位85歲的老奶奶!

Deirdre Larkin breezes through Johannesburg's suburbs most mornings, her white hair buffeted by the wind as she runs her well-trodden 8km training course.

大多數的早晨，迪爾德麗·拉金都在約翰內斯堡的近郊輕鬆度過，在她進行8公里的常規跑步訓練時，她的白髮被微風輕輕吹起。

At 85 years old, this retired concert pianist who only began running in later life can complete a half marathon in just over two hours and holds the world record time for her age.

這位85歲的退休鋼琴演奏家，是在晚年生活時纔開始跑步的，她可以在兩個小時內完成半程馬拉松，創造了她這個年齡組的世界紀錄。

"Before I turned 78, the last time I ran was in college, and I was really bad," she said, standing in her home in front of a wall of some 500 medals recognising her athletic feats.

“在我78歲之前，我上一次跑步還是在大學，而且那時我跑得很爛，”拉金站在家中有500多塊運動獎牌的一面牆前說道。

Stopping for selfies with children and to offer her fellow runners encouragement, Larkin has become a major draw at the races she runs.

跑步時停下來和孩子們自拍、給跑步的小夥伴們以鼓勵，拉金成爲她所在的比賽隊伍裏的明星人物。

"As people pass me, because most people pass me, they greet me and say 'hello - I saw you on TV!'" she said following a recent 10-km race in Pretoria.

最近，她在比勒陀利亞進行的10公里的比賽之後表示，“當人們從我身邊經過時--因爲大多數人都會超過我，他們會向我打招呼，說'你好，我在電視上看到你了!'”

To stay in shape, Larkin adheres to a strict regimen - no sugar, salt or coffee and a 5:00 am start every day for training.

爲了保持體型，拉金遵循嚴格的養生法--飲食中無糖、無鹽，不喝咖啡，每天早上5點起牀鍛鍊。

Last year alone she ran in 65 races, including several 21km half-marathons.

僅在2016年，拉金就參加了65場跑步賽事，其中有好幾場都是21公里的半程馬拉松。

"There's always an element of disbelief. I can't believe I've done it. But my body tells me the next day I certainly did it," she said.

她表示：“有時總有一點兒懷疑，我不敢相信我做到了。不過我的身體告訴我，第二天我仍然能跑下去。”

And despite preparing to turn 86 in September, Larkin has no intention of slowing down.

儘管今年9月拉金就要86歲了，但她並未打算放慢自己的腳步。

"I can imagine a life without running but it's a kind of slow death," she said. "I'm going to run as long as I can - even if I only have one leg, I'll manage."

她說道：“我沒辦法想象沒有跑步的人生，那就好比慢性死亡。我會一直跑下去，即使我只剩下一條腿，我也會跑。”