Jenny Wood-Allen MBE (20 November 1911 – 30 December 2010) was a

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councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

who became a

marathon runner The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road running, road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk str ...

at the age of 71. She went on to run more than 50 marathons and became a Guinness World Record holder as the oldest female marathon finisher in 1999, aged 87. She was awarded an MBE in 2004 for services to charity and distance running.

Early life

Wood-Allen was born Janet Soutar on 20 November 1911 in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

. Her parents were Margaret Kinnear and James Soutar, a

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. She was one of six children and the family was not well off. She won a scholarship to

Harris Academy Harris Academy is a co-educational comprehensive school in the affluent residential area of West End, Dundee, West End of Dundee, Scotland. Harris Academy was founded in 1885 and is the oldest state school in Dundee. Previously academically-se ...

but could not take it up as she had to leave school at 14 to work.''The biographical dictionary of Scottish women : from the earliest times to 2004''. Elizabeth Ewan, Sue Innes, Sian Reynolds. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2006. .

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367680960. She took up cycling in her 20s, joining a men's cycling club. She was an unofficial Scottish women's champion time triallist as women's cycling was not a recognised sport. She was awarded honorary membership of Dundee Roadrunners. She married Roy Wood in 1938 and they had three sons.

Career

Wood-Allen was a

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councillor, representing the West Ferry ward for 14 years, and became a Justice of the Peace in 1966. She was a champion of women's rights and education. She was also a toastmistress. She initially took up running as a "one-off". As a councillor, she helped organise the first Dundee marathon in 1983. She trained and ran in it, despite being advised that she was too old at the age of 71. Her finishing time was 5 hours 34 minutes. She went on to run more than 50 full marathons and raised over £70,000 for charity. Wood-Allen made national headlines when she completed the 1999

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

at 87 years old. Her time of 7 hours 14 mins 46 secs earned her the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for Oldest Female Marathon Finisher. This record stood until 2010 when it was broken by Gladys Burrill. In 2001, Wood-Allen ran in the London Marathon for the last time, before walking it in 2002, aged 90.

Awards and recognition

Wood-Allen received an MBE in the 2004 New Year Honours List for services to Charity and Distance Running. She was also awarded an Honorary MA from the University of Dundee in 1994.

Later life and death

Wood-Allen was widowed in 1991. She continued to be very active in sport, running up to 50 miles a week, and taking part in the 2006 Great Scottish Walk. She regularly attended meetings of the Dundee City Sports Council. In December 2006, £700 worth of jewellery was stolen from her home. Wood-Allen died on 30 December 2010, aged 99 in Dundee. Her funeral was held at the parish church of

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on 12 January 2011, and she was cremated at Dundee Crematorium.

References

External links

ABC News – ''Keep on running''

Run for your wife
BBC news, 16 April 1999 1911 births 2010 deaths Sportspeople from Dundee Scottish female marathon runners British female marathon runners Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Scottish sportswomen {{authority control