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Legendary American athlete Julia 'Hurricane' Hawkins dies aged 108

In 2017 she earned her nickname by being the oldest woman to compete in the National Senior Games 50m and 100m dash events.

The running community has lost a legend with the passing of 108-year-old Julia Hawkins.

Hawkins, known in running cirles as 'Hurricane' became an inspiration for athletic feats in her second century of life. Hawkins took up competitive cycling in her 70s, but she achieved national fame as a runner.

In 2017, aged 101, Hawkins earned her nickname by becoming the oldest woman to compete in the National Senior Games 50m and 100m dash events, records she broke two years later.

Both years, she ran faster than the winners of the 94-99 age brackets. She became the first woman and first American to establish a 105-plus age group track record, said Del Moon, director of communications and media for the National Senior Games Association.

She never ran competitively until 2016, when her four children signed her up for the Louisiana Senior Games. At 75, Julia Hawkins began competing in cycling at the Louisiana Senior Games. In 1996, she went to her first nationals in San Antonio. She went on to win two gold medals at each of the next three National Senior Olympics and was the only entrant in her 85-89 age group in 2001.

Julia Hawkins is 105 and still going strong

At 105 years old, Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins has just completed 100 meters in an official competition, making her the oldest woman ever to do so. 

This incredible achievement shows that age is nothing but a number. It’s never too late to start at any age. Julia has dropped the excuses and kept moving, proving that fitness is for life. 

Let her story inspire you to keep going, no matter where you are in your journey. 

Seven Pearls of Wisdom From a 103-Year-Old World Record Runner

Julia Hawkins insists we should all try new things. She would know—she started running at 100 and became an age-group ace by 101.

Julia is still running at age 106 as of 2022.

Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins is still taking the running world by storm.

In 2017, at age 101, Hawkins set the world record for her age group in the 100-meter dash at the USA Track & Field Outdoors Masters Championships. She completed the distance in a blazing 40.12 seconds, instantly catapulting herself to running stardom.

Now 103, this great-grandmother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is busy preparing for the National Senior Games. This biennial competition—open to runners ages 50 and older—is scheduled for June 14-25, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hawkins will throw the shot put and race the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and potentially the 200-meter dash.

“As you get older you don’t usually break your own record. I’ll give it my best, I’ll tell you that,” said Hawkins about her upcoming opportunity to make history – again. In addition to the 100-meter world record, Hawkins holds the centenarian world record in the 60-meter dash (24.75 seconds) and shot put.

Throughout her 103 years on Earth, Hawkins has amassed a wealth of life knowledge, which she’s been kind enough to share with Women’s Running. Take a cue and a little bit of inspiration from these seven pearls of wisdom:

“I try to do as many new things as I can. I never say no to an invitation. I like to go to plays and musicals and church and all kinds of places,” Hawkins said.

Her enthusiasm for new experiences ultimately led Hawkins to start running—at the age of 100.

“I thought it would be neat to do the 100-meter dash when I turned 100. My first year I did the 50-meter dash to see how that would go, and I fell in love with it,” said Hawkins, whose children signed her up for the 100-meter dash, following her first qualifying 50-meter run.

“When you get old you should have a lot of passions. Passions keep you going. They make you want to live and want to do,” Hawkins said. “Get out there and make new friends and do something new every day.”

She also enjoys reading (Chariots of Fire is her top pick for runners), bird watching, and tending to her garden filled with bonsai trees.

In fact, while in her garden, she first suspected that she might have a talent for running. “I knew I could run because I’m always in the yard working, and when the phone rings, I go running inside to answer it,” Hawkins said.

She was born during World War I and grew up in much simpler times—no cell phones, internet, or television. She has learned to appreciate the little things in life.

“I’ve given books to a lot of my friends about magic moments—things that you get every day that you might miss. Sunrises, sunsets, hummingbirds, shooting stars, music, and friends’ comments,” Hawkins said. “All of those things that just touch you so much, just seeing, hearing and feeling it… I hope most people our age have more magic moments than senior moments.”

Her initiation to adventure came at a young age. When she was a baby, her family traveled by boat down the Mississippi River, from Chicago to Louisiana.

Her adventures have also taken her abroad. Right out of college, Hawkins taught four grades in a one-room school on a Honduran banana plantation.

“It was quite an adventure—I loved it. I went horseback riding, played golf, went in the jungle, and came home with a monkey,” said Hawkins, whose pet monkey was quite mischievous.

“He would let the clothes off of the clothesline and take shingles off the roof. He would jump on people’s heads and scare them to death. But he was cute and everyone loved him.”

Hawkins knows a thing or two about building a strong family unit. She was married to her college sweetheart, Murray Hawkins, for 70 years before he passed away in 2013, at the age of 95.

“He was in Pearl Harbor, working as a physicist to demagnetize ships, when it was bombed. He was out there that day getting ready [to demagnetize a ship] when they heard the first bomb land,” Hawkins said. “So we were married by telephone. He was afraid if he was gone too long, I might change my mind. But when I make it up, I make it up.”

Their four children—ages 71, 78, 68, and 66—are a huge part of her life and travel to most of her races.

“They always go with me and encourage me. None of them are runners, a lot of them are bikers, but they are all active. My daughter may be doing the swim relay this year at the Senior Games in Albuquerque,” said Hawkins, who is excited about the opportunity to compete alongside her daughter.

Even before she started running, Hawkins led an active lifestyle. She has bicycled all of her life, averaging about 5-10 miles each day. She is no stranger to the National Senior Games either. Hawkins, who primarily competed in the 5K and 10K bike races, amassed six gold medals over the course of 10 years of competitions.

Hawkins credits her good health in old age to maintaining an active lifestyle and keeping her weight down. But, she occasionally allows herself to splurge.

“Here in Louisiana we have such wonderful fish and oysters and shrimp and crabs. And I like all of them, and they are all better fried than any other way,” she said. “Every now and then I’ll splurge and do something like that.”

Even several years into her running fame, she is still shocked at what she has achieved.

“It absolutely floors me. I can’t believe. I just feel like… how did this happen to me?” Hawkins said. “They tell me that I’m an inspiration to others. That’s one thing that keeps me going. If I can be an inspiration to people and keep them a little more healthy and active, I’m proud to do it.”

105-Year-Old Julia Hawkins Sets World Record for Age Group in 100-Meter Run

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Julia Hawkins!

The speedy 105-year-old known as the "Hurricane" ran 100 meters with a time of 1:02:95 at the Louisiana Senior Games in front of her adoring friends and family.

With the feat, Hawkins set a new world record by becoming the first female track and field athlete, and the first American, to set a track and field world record and establish an age 105 and older category, according to the National Senior Games.

"It was wonderful to see so many family members and friends," Hawkins said after the race, according to the organization. "But I wanted to do it in less than a minute."

When asked if she wanted to run the 100-meter race again, she told CBS News, "Yeah!"

This isn't the first time Hawkins has made headlines for her show of endurance.

At age 101, the former schoolteacher from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, won the 100-meter dash in a blazing 40.12 seconds at the USA Track and Field Outdoors Masters Championships.

"I love to run, and I love being an inspiration to others," Hawkins told reporters after Saturday's race.

"I want to keep running as long as I can," she added. "My message to others is that you have to stay active if you want to be healthy and happy as you age."

In 2019, Hawkins won two gold medals in the 50- and 100-meter dashes at the Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"I'm thrilled I did as well as I did but I didn't do as well as I have done," the mother of four told Good Morning America at the time. "I don't know if it's because I'm older, or maybe it was the atmosphere."

"Realize you can still be doing it at this kind of an age," she continued. "I just keep busy. I keep moving. I don't do any exercises particularly. I used to, but I don't think I need to anymore."

It is never too late, Julia Hawkins started running at 100 and became an age-group ace by 101

Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins is still taking the running world by storm.

In 2017, at age 101, Hawkins set the world record for her age group in the 100-meter dash at the USA Track & Field Outdoors Masters Championships. She completed the distance in a blazing 40.12 seconds, instantly catapulting herself to running stardom.

Now 103, this great-grandmother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is busy preparing for the National Senior Games. This biennial competition—open to runners ages 50 and older—is scheduled for June 14-25, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hawkins will throw the shot put and race the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and potentially the 200-meter dash.

“As you get older you don’t usually break your own record. I’ll give it my best, I’ll tell you that,” said Hawkins about her upcoming opportunity to make history – again. In addition to the 100-meter world record, Hawkins holds the centenarian world record in the 60-meter dash (24.75 seconds) and shot put.

Throughout her 103 years on Earth, Hawkins has amassed a wealth of life knowledge, which she’s been kind enough to share with Women’s Running. Take a cue and a little bit of inspiration from these seven pearls of wisdom:

Try new things.“I try to do as many new things as I can. I never say no to an invitation. I like to go to plays and musicals and church and all kinds of places,” Hawkins said.

Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins is still taking the running world by storm.

In 2017, at age 101, Hawkins set the world record for her age group in the 100-meter dash at the USA Track & Field Outdoors Masters Championships. She completed the distance in a blazing 40.12 seconds, instantly catapulting herself to running stardom.

Now 103, this great-grandmother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is busy preparing for the National Senior Games. This biennial competition—open to runners ages 50 and older—is scheduled for June 14-25, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hawkins will throw the shot put and race the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and potentially the 200-meter dash.

“As you get older you don’t usually break your own record. I’ll give it my best, I’ll tell you that,” said Hawkins about her upcoming opportunity to make history – again. In addition to the 100-meter world record, Hawkins holds the centenarian world record in the 60-meter dash (24.75 seconds) and shot put.

Throughout her 103 years on Earth, Hawkins has amassed a wealth of life knowledge, which she’s been kind enough to share with Women’s Running. Take a cue and a little bit of inspiration from these seven pearls of wisdom:

Try new things.“I try to do as many new things as I can. I never say no to an invitation. I like to go to plays and musicals and church and all kinds of places,” Hawkins said.

Inspire others.Even several years into her running fame, she is still shocked at what she has achieved.

“It absolutely floors me. I can’t believe. I just feel like… how did this happen to me?” Hawkins said. “They tell me that I’m an inspiration to others. That’s one thing that keeps me going. If I can be an inspiration to people and keep them a little more healthy and active, I’m proud to do it.”