At 105 Years Old, Julia 'Hurricane' Hawkins Sets A New Record For The 100-Meter Dash: 'A Magic Moment'
Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins is living proof that age is just a number.
On November 6, the 105-year-old set a world record when she completed the 100-meter dash at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games, making her the oldest woman to ever do so. She clocked in at 1:02:95 as her friends and family cheered her on.
While she's obviously proud of her accomplishment, she didn't participate in the event just for praise.
"The older you get, the more passions you ought to have," she shared with USA Today. "Keeping active is one of my most important passions."
Hawkins used to be a fan of biking, but when she turned 100, she decided to take up competitive sprinting.
"When I started running, I found it was a pleasure. I enjoyed doing it. So it was a new challenge, and I took to it like a duck to water," the Louisiana native recalled. "I felt that would be a neat challenge to run the 100 [meter] dash, at 100, in under a minute."
Though she doesn't participate in races that often, she tries to walk or jog one mile each and every day.
"When you're 105, you don't have too many 100 [meter] dashes left in you," the retired educator quipped. "So you save them for when you need them."
"I believe in magic moments, thinking of things that you see and do and feel more," the impressive athlete expressed. "They're absolutely out of this world, they're so unusual. And wonderful. Every time I race it's a magic moment."
The most recent competition wasn't her first record-breaker, with the National Senior Games Association reporting that she set a new world record in 2017, running a 100-meter dash in about 39 seconds, making her the fastest in her age group.
Hawkins admitted that even she is surprised by her longevity, but she's always maintained an optimistic attitude.
"I keep thinking, 'Why am I left here?' Why haven't I been called by now?'" she said. "People say that they want to be just like me when they grow up ... And I think if I can please people and give them hope, then it's worth living longer."