Ep156: Barb Broad Still Finding Speed at 73-years Old

November 1, 2023
Barb Broad is a 73-year old runner who lives and trains in Cleveland, Ohio. Barb is a retired Speech-Language Pathologist who discovered running, thanks to one of her sporty female friends, when she was 40 years old. Instantaneously, she loved the sport, becoming more and more passionate about it…she trained with coaches, went to a nutritionist, and fully committed to being the best she could be. She tells that story and in particular honors a coach who saw something special in her. And pay attention because this is a great lesson for all of us: Barb raced her best marathon times in her sixties: 3:19:01 when she was 60 at the 2011 Boston Marathon and in 2012 when she was 62 at the Twin Cities Marathon she ran 3:18:40 to win the Masters Marathon Age Graded Championship.

During her career she has run 23 marathons including eight times at Boston where she won her age group four times. She’s run about a half dozen half marathons with a PR of 1:33:09 at 62 years old. On the track she’s won multiple gold medals in the 400, 800, 1500, 3000, 5000, and mile, including breaking the world age group record in the mile with a 5:59.5.

60-64 Age Group Record for the Twins Cities Marathon: 3:18.45
USATF Indoor Master Championships: 2013, AG: 60-64: 2 Gold Medals- 800m (2:41.6), 3000m
* Mile: # 2: Mile- 5:59.5, World AG Record
2020: Lake Erie Indoor Championship: Gold Medal- 400m. # 1US-  1:20.xx
2011-Outdoor Masters Track: 60-64 AG: 2 Gold medals:1500, 5000.
2019: 65-69 AG Masters Track Championships: Gold: 800m (2:54)

Hal Hidgon’s Marathon: Ultimate Training Guide
Southeast Running Club
Pan-American Masters Games 2024, Cleveland, Ohio
89-year old Flo Meiler
Barb describes how she eats and it sounds a lot like what Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark recommended in Ep146.
Joan Benoit Samuelson
Cleveland Elite Development, Coach Glenn Andrews
Women’s Running Stories podcast