By james art Julia Hawkins, the centenarian sprinter known as “The Hurricane” and “The Flower Lady,” died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this week at the age of 108.
Sue Hlavacek, President and CEO of the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), confirmed her death to NPR.
According to New York Times, Hawkins was born on February 10, 1916 in Wisconsin, but lived in Baton Rouge for a long time.
She attended Louisiana State University where she met her husband, Murray Hawkins. Hawkins and Murray married in an unconventional way. At the time, Murray was deployed with the US Navy; he was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed during World War II. It was during this deployment the couple began their ten-year marriage.
“When they sent him over there, we got married over the phone,” Hawkins told NPR member station WWNO in 2022. “My father-in-law went with me to Baton Rouge to see if it was legal in Louisiana. And it was. So we got married over the phone.”
The couple would have four children during their 70-year union. Murray died in 2013 at the age of 95.
Hawkins was a lifelong athlete. She had an interest in cycling for much of her life before losing interest due to lack of competition.
“There was no one my age to compete with,” she told the NSGA in 2021.
Hawkins became the darling of the athletics world when she started running at the age of 100.
According to media reports, she started running at the insistence of her children. It wasn’t long before she cemented her dominance in the sport, setting the 100m record in the 100-104 age group in 2017 with a fast finish of 39:62.
She set several other records in her age group and charmed the crowds with her outspoken demeanor.
The great-grandmother was given the name “Hurricane” on the track for her racing prowess, but her other nickname “The Flower Lady” came from her love of gardening. During her races, she could be seen with her trademark flower tucked behind her ear as she walked the track.
In 2021, at the ripe old age of 105, Hawkins became the first female athlete in the 105+ age group to record a time in the 100m.
With a finishing time of 1:02:95, she expressed disappointment that she did not perform as well as she had hoped.
“It was wonderful to see so many family members and friends. But I wanted to do it under a minute,” she said after the race, according to the NSGA.
When someone in the crowd asked if she felt better realizing her time was still less than her age, she said, “No.”
Hlavacek, the NSGA boss, said it was just her sharp sense of humor.
“She was a phenomenal athlete and just a very nice woman. Very inspiring for our community and also for the world as an athlete,” Hlavacek said.
Hlavacek said her message inspired millions, noting Hawkins’ determination to compete and excel.
“It’s never too late to try something new, and Julia Hawkins certainly was,” Hlavacek said.
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