At 87, June Dirks powers up for Sunday’s half marathon

June Dirks will attempt to complete her first half marathon on Sunday in the Prairie Fire Marathon series.

Depending on who you ask, this feat would either be remarkable or just another goal accomplished.

Actually, Dirks, an 87-year-old Wichita resident, is the only member of the latter.

“If I don’t do this now, then I’ll have to do it next year when I’m 88,” Dirks explained. “This is going to be the year. If I don’t do it now, I’ll probably never do it. So I’m going to do it.”

Since the Prairie Fire fall series began in 2010, the oldest competitor to finish a half-marathon was 78. The oldest female was 73, and only five older than 70 have completed the 13.1 miles in the last four years.

Dirks is not the typical 87-year-old.

She can do a push-up upon request. She still works out and takes great pride in being able to still lift weights. She still drives and does things that people two decades younger are no longer able to do.

“I think of her in these terms of being superwoman,” said Hanna Rosov, owner of Zeal Fitness Studio in Wichita and Dirks’ trainer for the last 11 years. “I forget that she is 87 all the time, and I’m just left completely in awe of this woman every time we train.”

In fact, Dirks did not pick up running long distances until she was in her 60s after she retired from teaching. She has competed in several races, mostly 5K and 10Ks, and estimates she has around 30 medals.

A hip replacement and heart attack have since kept Dirks from running, but she remained fit by staying committed to walking. Dirks works with Rosov twice a week for 45-minute sessions and they have been training for Sunday’s half marathon since the first week of July.

“Sunday represents a tremendous goal for me,” Dirks said. “I know others can do this, but I’ve never tried this before and this is my own goal. And I don’t want to let Hanna down. She’s invested a lot in me.”

Dirks credits Rosov for providing the right support and motivation to keep her active, and Rosov will point out it’s not hard to do that when she is inspired on a daily basis by her most dedicated client. It has been a relationship that has flourished over the last decade and one that each party treasures.

“She truly is one in a million,” Rosov said. “What she’s done is not unattainable, but it is amazing that she has so much determination to keep going week after week after week. A lot of us treat training as a choice. It’s never been a choice to June. It’s been something she’s had to do. She had to do that to keep her quality of life.”

Rosov is quick to use Dirks as motivation to others that she trains. Whenever someone begins to falter in their commitment, Rosov tells them about what her 87-year-old did that morning.

“That’s my goal to be like her when I’m 87,” said Lacy Hansen, another runner who trains with Rosov. “She’s attentative. She has all of her mobility. She’s funny, she’s witty, she’s healthy. That’s the goal and she’s living proof that it can be done.”

But what amazes Rosov the most about Dirks is her determination.

No matter the age, every runner faces a moment before, during or after training where they wonder if the work is really worth the pain and suffering. Dirks never once has let this inner struggle overcome her.

“She faces the same struggles as every other athlete I’ve ever trained,” Rosov said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a 20-something athlete in the best shape of your life or you’re 87 years old, we all deal with the same issues. It’s just how you deal with them.”

Dirks is flattered her story could inspire others, but hopes it can help raise awareness to the benefits of exercising and living a healthy lifestyle.

“I am thrilled with the fact that I’m 87 and it makes me feel good about myself that I’m still able to do this,” Dirks said. “I want to do this for as long as possible.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2014 at 2:46 PM with the headline "At 87, June Dirks powers up for Sunday’s half marathon."