Mavis Hutchison

Mavis Hutchison, born 25 November 1924, was a South African athlete primarily known for running in ultramarathons. She began as a race walker, setting her first record in the 50-mile Rand Daily Mail Big Walk in 1963, and in 1965 she was the third woman in history to finish the 90 km Comrades Marathon, running it as an unofficial entrant. She set women's world records for the 100-mile and 24-hour run in 1971, ran from Pretoria to Cape Town in just over 22 days in 1975, and in 1978, aged 53, became the first woman to run across the United States, covering 2,871 miles from Los Angeles to New York City in 69 days. Known in South Africa as the Galloping Granny, she died on 19 May 2022.