101-Year-Old Woman Makes Paragliding Record, Laughs At Us
SMILE DARN YA SMILE!
There’s nothing like hearing about a 101-year-old great-grandmother paragliding to make you feel like you aren’t living life to its fullest. Darn you, Mary Hardison! Darn you! But seriously, paragliding?!
Hardison, of Ogden, Utah is officially the “Oldest Female to Paraglide Tandem” according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The most amusing part? She stole the title from a 100-year-old woman who took took her flight in 2007. I can see Ms. Hardison sticking her tongue out now.
And there she goes…
“Hardison flew with an instructor on Sept. 1, 2011, while four generations of her family watched and cheered. The flight went smoothly and even included a few tricks that Hardison encouraged,” writes the Associated Press.
And I must now take back my earlier comment about Hardison stealing the record from another lady. This is the most amusing part of this story: She wanted to paraglide because her 75-year-old son had picked it up as a hobby. “I didn’t want him to get too far ahead of me, so I decided that I’d go too,” she told the press.
Wait, wait. It gets even better.
Hardison apparently has had daredevil in her blood for a while. She previously rode every adult ride at Disneyland in California…for her 90th birthday.
This woman is the best.
“My first reaction was she was nuts,” said Hardison’s daughter-in-law Bonnie. “But everyone is just so excited and thinks this record is great.” Hardison herself was surprised to learn she broke a record. “To me, I was just going on a little ride,” she said. “I had no idea I’d break a record.”
Hardison is very happy to know that her adventures have excited and inspired others.
“Some people have said, ‘Well, if you can do that at your age then there’s no need for me to just sit around,'” she said. “My desire is for the elderly to keep on going. Do things as long as you are physically able. Be positive. Friends don’t like a grumpy person.”
I am adopting this woman.
(via Associated Press, images via KSLTV)
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