She’s the first woman in history to join a very exclusive group — the Seven Continents Club. She’s run more than 240 marathons, including one in all 50 states and all Canadian provinces.

And Virginia Farneman didn’t even start running until she was in her 40s! She’s an inspiration especially because of the obstacles she overcame to become an elite athlete. Farneman and her husband were smokers, she was a workaholic and neither were particularly fit. But she knew she needed to make a change, so slowly but surely, she started running.

In her first race, Farneman says she struggled but loved the feeling of crossing the finish line. And that helped her (in the words of Forrest Gump) keep going and going…

See why she credits her husband’s love for travel with some of her endurance, the challenges her body has given her through the years and why she says people of all ages can relate to her story.