Gloria Vasquez has a big goal: to run 100 marathons before she’s 100 years old, and she’s well on her way.
This weekend, Vasquez finished the Aspen Valley Marathon, her 91st marathon, at 72 years old, along a course that led runners from Aspen to Basalt.
Vasquez plans to run the New York City Marathon for her final race, and after that, become a coach for other racers.
Vasquez shared her story on July 16 with reporter Halle Zander, who recorded this audio postcard inside Basalt’s Two Rivers Bar & Cafe near the finish line.
Gloria Vasquez: My name is Gloria Vasquez, and I grew up in Colombia. I started running very early because I was the errand girl in my family, so I went to run the errands, so I had to be fast. That’s why I became a runner.
I was in a bad marriage there, and my whole family was here already, and I was the last one left there with four kids by myself.
My husband didn't want to come to the United States. Finally, [I] decided to leave him with my four kids because life was hard with him. He became an alcoholic and very abusive.
I made the decision to leave him, and I went far away — from one part of Colombia to another part — far away [so] that he wouldn’t find me. I had papers because he was very abusive, so I had papers from the government that will protect me with my kids. So everybody got in together, my sisters and everybody sponsored me, and [it] took three years for me to come to [the] United States with my four kids. A blessing in disguise, the minute I touched here, I was so happy.
You know where the best thing that I got here? Laundry. I don't have to do laundry anymore by hand. When my sister took me to a laundromat, you put your clothes here, they get washed, you dry them here, [and] you’re done. I love to do laundry.
I work. I'm a cosmetologist. I had my own business for about 25 years, so I worked really hard because I’m a single mother with four kids, but I made time to run always.
In New York, it was a race in town and I said, “Let me join the race.” And I won the race. I was fast. I don't even think that I was that fast. One of the prizes was to enter [the] New York City Marathon. After I ran the first New York City [Marathon], I was hooked. So I [ran] every year for every year for 15 years. I did New York City. I did Boston. I love to run. I just love to run. The freedom, it’s so peaceful. Any problem that I have, I run it out.
When I was little, and I was doing my errands at my house, at night, I always dreamed that I was running so fast that I [flew] over the trees.
I enjoyed every minute of this race, and I said “I don't care what time I finish. I'm going to enjoy this race because this is natural beauty.” The one I like the most is that we run along the river, the Rio Grande [trail], to hear the water. The sound of the water was running. The mountains are gorgeous. Wherever I look, I keep stopping and take pictures and video.
I met somebody at the race. He was running and he said, “Oh, I admire you. You’re taking pictures. You’re not in a hurry to finish.” I said, “It’s such a beautiful race. I’m not in a hurry. Whatever time I get there, I get there. I don’t care.” So then he starts running with me, taking pictures, and we start talking. And all of a sudden, his feet were hurting him badly. By the nine-mile point, he has to take off his shoes. He starts walking barefoot. He says, “if I can stay with you, I'll be so happy.” I said, “Don’t worry, you are going to stay with me.”
I’m breathing [in] these beautiful mountains and this beautiful scenery. I used to be fast. I run Boston five times fast, fast and furious always, but races like this that [are] such a beauty, I don’t care. So I stayed with him. You know, I helped somebody. I love to help people.
