In its inaugural year as part of the World Marathon Majors, the 2025 Sydney Marathon on 31/8 witnessed a remarkable performance by Rice.

At 77, she finished in 3 hours 37 minutes and 48 seconds, outpacing the second-place finisher in the 75-79 age group by 1 hour and 21 minutes. Rice even ran faster than all the men in her age group, finishing over 22 minutes ahead of the leading male runner.

Rice's splits throughout the 2025 Sydney Marathon.

Rice became the first person, regardless of age or gender, to win their age group in all 7 major marathons: Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, Tokyo, and Sydney.

In October 2018, Rice surprised the running community by breaking the 3-hour-30-minute barrier in the 70-74 age group marathon, setting a world record of 3 hours 27 minutes and 50 seconds at the Chicago Marathon. Almost a year later, on 29/9, she broke her own record, finishing the Berlin Marathon in 3 hours 24 minutes and 48 seconds.

In April 2024, Rice continued her record-breaking streak, achieving a time of 3 hours 33 minutes and 27 seconds in the 75-79 age group at the London Marathon.

Jeannie Rice (right) poses with the late marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Photo: Facebook / Jeannie Rice

Not only excelling in the marathon distance, Rice has also broken the world record for the half marathon and three world records in the 75-79 age group for the 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m at the 2023 USA Track & Field Championships. She also consistently achieves impressive results in shorter distances, such as 5 km and 8 km, in local races.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology this year revealed that Rice has a VO2 max of 47.8—the highest maximum oxygen uptake ever recorded in a woman over 75—and a maximum heart rate of 180 beats per minute, comparable to a young athlete.

Rice splits her time between Mentor, Ohio, and Naples, Florida. Her endurance and discipline allow her to maintain extraordinary physical condition, making her an inspiring figure for the global running community.

Hong Duy (via Canadian Running Magazine)