# Question regarding osteoporosis

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-osteoporosis/793091>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 8, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-osteoporosis/793091 "2017-08-08T14:09:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-osteoporosis/793091/1 "2017-08-08T14:09:50Z")

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Hi  
My question is to determine if this 85 year-old marathon runner merely slowed down her osteoporosis or beat it. I couldn’t find any articles to tell me either. I look forward to your feedback.

> **[85 Years Old: It’s Never Too Late to Run a Half Marathon - SOSCuisine](https://www.soscuisine.com/blog/never-too-late-run-half-marathon/)**
>
> At 85 years old, Deidre Larkin holds the world record for half-marathon (21 km) in the over 80’s category (2h05).

In the early 2000’s, her doctor had diagnosed osteoporosis, against which medicine, injections and even yoga had no effect. In 2010, one of her children came to live with her in Johannesburg. He was a runner, and she decided to tag along when he trained. When she started, she’d run a few feet and stop to walk three steps, but in seven years the progress has been incredible. She’s become an international celebrity in the running world. Last April, she was even invited to a race in Geneva, Switzerland.

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**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-osteoporosis/793091/2 "2017-08-08T14:13:57Z")

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> [@davidmich](#):
>
> Hi  
> My question is to determine if this 85 year-old marathon runner merely slowed down her osteoporosis or beat it. I couldn’t find any articles to tell me either. I look forward to your feedback.
> 
> [85 Years Old: It’s Never Too Late to Run a Half Marathon - SOSCuisine](https://www.soscuisine.com/blog/never-too-late-run-half-marathon/)
> 
> In the early 2000’s, her doctor had diagnosed osteoporosis, against which medicine, injections and even yoga had no effect. In 2010, one of her children came to live with her in Johannesburg. He was a runner, and she decided to tag along when he trained. When she started, she’d run a few feet and stop to walk three steps, but in seven years the progress has been incredible. She’s become an international celebrity in the running world. Last April, she was even invited to a race in Geneva, Switzerland.

So it seems she has kept it under control and hasn’t beaten it.

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-osteoporosis/793091/3 "2017-08-08T14:19:52Z")

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By definition, osteoporosis means her bones were thin and brittle. Having worked up to a half marathon means her bones have gained enough density to handle the impact forces.  
This is assuming the original diagnosis was correct.  
She was risking stress fractures at the start, someone should have started her on weightlifting and walking when the other approaches didn’t work.