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A Different Kind of Success Story

106-Year-Old Voter’s Cheerful Longevity Secret

Tara Parker-Pope

Published: November 5, 2008
The New York Times

In his victory speech, President-elect Barack Obama framed the remarkable events of America’s recent past through the life of 106-year-old voter Ann Nixon Cooper.

She was “born just a generation past slavery” he noted in the stirring speech . “And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.”

CNN’s Web site profiled Ms. Cooper last month during early voting in Georgia. In a wheelchair and with the help of two caretakers, Ms. Cooper bypassed the long lines of early voters and headed right to the voting machine, CNN reported.

Ms. Cooper danced the electric slide up until the age of 103, but she has recently slowed down after suffering several heart attacks and a fractured hip. Three of her four children have died, and her surviving daughter is 83. She has 14 grandchildren living and many great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren, according to CNN.

The cable network asked her about the secret to her longevity.

“I ain’t got time to die,” she said. “I don’t know how it happened, but being cheerful had a lot to do with it. I’ve always been a happy person, a giggling person — a wide-mouthed person!”

The New York City Marathon

Congratulations to all of you who ran in today's New York City Marathon.

Your desire, your determination, your triumph and your spirit are an inspiration to us all....

DATE: Sunday, November 2, 2008
LOCATION: The Five Boroughs of New York City
START: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Staten Island
FINISH: Tavern on the Green, Central Park

The Marathon

39,000 runners from more than 100 countries and all 50 states are expected to participate in this year's 39th running of the ING New York City Marathon. This famous race will feature many of running's premier athletes including Olympian Kara Goucher who will make her marathon debut after representing the USA in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events in Beijing. The ING New York City Marathon offers a prize purse of more than $700,000 with the men's and women's open division champions taking home $130,000 each.

New in 2008, there will be three wave starts to alleviate congestion on the course and enhance the overall race experience for runners. The Professional Women's field will start at 9:10am while the Professional Men will head the Wave 1 start at 9:40am.

The ING NYC Marathon will be the last event in the World Marathon Majors Series which kicked off in April with the running of the Boston Marathon and also includes Flora London, real,- BERLIN and Bank of America Chicago. The series showcases the sport's top athletes and awards a prize purse of $1 million to be divided between the male and female point leaders at the end of the series (determined by finishing times at each of the five races).

The ING New York City Marathon will officially begin at 7:30am with the Early Start for Athletes with Disabilities, followed by the 8:35am start for the Wheelchair Division and the 8:55am start for the Handcycle Division.

Paralympic gold medalists and defending wheelchair champions Kurt Fearnley of Australia and Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland will return to headline a loaded Wheelchair Division that is expected to include all of the past ING New York City Marathon male and female winners since the first official race in 2000. The wheelchair division prize money purse totals $40,000 plus time bonuses, with the male and female winners taking home $7,500 apiece.

An estimated two million spectators will watch the event from the streets of New York City, while a worldwide audience of over 315 million is expected to watch the televised broadcast.

The first marathon was held in 1970 with only a few hundred runners participating in the 26.2-mile competition in Central Park. Slowly expanding in size and scope, the 1976 marathon saw 2,090 racers complete a race that encompassed all five boroughs. Runners now enjoy a scenic course that stretches across the Verrazano Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn, north through Queens and the Bronx, and concludes in Manhattan for a spectacular finish in Central Park.

To learn more about the New York City Marathon and view the winners from each year, please visit our Marathon History Page.

For detailed information on participating and
viewing the race, please visit the ING NYC Marathon Website.

EM