92-year-old woman breaks sprinting world record: ‘I’m ready to croak’

Diane Hoffman turned 92 this week and she’s really not slowing down.

The New Englander just beat the world record for her age group in the 400-meter dash, after picking up the sport just last year.

When she crossed the finish line last weekend, she told her family between swigs of Gatorade, “I’m ready to croak.”

But Hoffman’s healthy as a horse, apparently — she also nabbed the US record in her age group for the 100- and 200-meter dash.

Hoffman told CBS Boston that she’s “not a runner and never has been,” but that she stays disciplined and exercises most days — often on a trampoline.

“I believe the good Lord gave me legs, what else?,” she says. “Nothing else. Legs.”

The speed demon got into running last year after years of playing tennis. When she went on walks with her family, she found they were constantly eating her dust.

“I was walking fast ahead of them and they were slow pokes,” she says. “At that point they said, ‘she oughta run.’ ”

Her advice puts your excuses for not going to the gym to shame.

“You got to move. You got to do something. Don’t let yourself stay in bed. Even going to the gym is healthy, [and] what do they call it, yoga — I wouldn’t do either of them but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good for you. They are!”

As for running, Hoffman taps into her wild side for some extra motivation to cross the finish line: “Pretend the police are chasing you.”

But, her great accomplishments aside, she’s got a few years to catch up to centenarian Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins, the 103-year-old who took home the gold this year during the National Senior Games for the 100-meter dash, completing the course in just 46.07 seconds.

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