80-year-old woman does a 5K every day and hits 1,000 day streak

80-year-old 5k

The woman started during the pandemic and has been doing a 5k walk or run every day

When the pandemic hit, a Cherokee woman from Oklahoma wasn’t going to let it get her down. She decided that she would walk a 5k a day for one-hundred days straight. But she didn’t stop there. In the beginning of March, right after she turned 80, she finished her 1,000th 5k. 

Pandemic

When the pandemic hit and people were forced to stay home, Mae Dean Erb from Blackgum, Oklahoma, wasn’t going to let it bring her down. She decided that she would walk or run a 5k every day for a total of one-hundred days. So, every day, Erb ran or walked a 5k. And now, years later, Mae Dean Erb has created a new habit which caused her to hit a 1,000 day streak. Erb’s daughter, Julie Erb-Alvarez, told GNN: “I don’t know how she managed to do a 5K walk or run every single day for the last 1,000 days but she did.”

5k every day

According to Erb, she isn’t going to break her habit anytime soon. She told the Cherokee Phoenix: “I don’t hurt anywhere. I have knee issues every once in a while, with, I guess age, but it’s really wonderful thing (walk/run) to do … It’s just something you should do for yourself and your family, and when you have a 4-year-old grandson, you want to stay young enough to pick him up and run with him and catch him if he’s going in the wrong direction.” Erb doesn’t just walk by herself. She is often accompanied by friends who walk or run 5k with her. Her daughter says that Erb is an inspiration to herself and the community of Blackgum. She told the news channel: “Her milestone was celebrated by a gathering of friends and family – even some virtually. She is our hero.”

Read more: Two 81-year-old friends are traveling the world in 80 days

Source: Good News Network | Image: Unsplash