Deirdre Larkin – Randburg’s running icon

Randburg running legend, Deirdre Larkin has lived in Fontainebleau for 49 years and seen much of the development that has happened in the greater Randburg area during this time.

“To be honest, I never mingled much with the community until I started running nine years ago,” the 87-year-old confessed.

“And even now I do a lot of running and piano teaching and not much else. [But] I have always enjoyed running on the streets of Randburg. People always stop me and say, 'You're the woman from the newspaper. Are you still running?'.”

Deirdre, who was awarded life-time membership at the Randburg Harriers, said the community of Randburg has always been supportive of her running career, and the scenic roads of Fontainebleau and its surrounding suburbs have helped motivate her to keep running.

“I often go past the parks and the Randpark Golf Club, which are lovely too look at.”

Deirdre has a medal room that puts most professional athletes to shame. One wall is full of medals on a few medal stands, while other trophies and ribbons are left in boxes in the room's corners.

“I am running out of medal space,” she said in blasé fashion, and without a hint of arrogance. “I do about 60 runs every year. Sometimes I get two medals from one race because I don't just win my age category.”

Deirdre boasts two world records in road running. She holds the 10km world record for her age category, which she did in 54:17 in Durban in 2013. She broke the 21km world record with 02:12:37 in Riefontein in February 2017, and then broke her own record with 02:05:13 in Geneva that May.

She started running at the age of 78 to combat the effects of osteoporosis. Before 2010 she never took running seriously. “I spent my whole life sitting down playing piano. I used to hate cross-country at school, I would just stand at the goalposts until it was over.”

But when her health deteriorated she took her diet, and a need to exercise, more seriously.

Her son, Richard Larkin, persuaded her to join him at the Randburg Harriers Valentine's Run and since then she never looked back.

A few 10km races later and Deirdre was running half-marathons. Then she was winning them in her age category, outpacing serious runners half her age.

“I love getting up in the morning and having the whole world to myself at a run. When you run with people, they are always marvellous people and you make friends.”