80-year-old Connecticut running legend's marathon record attempt derailed by freak injury

Amby Burfoot, an 80-year-old running legend from Mystic, Connecticut, had his marathon record attempt for the Eversource Hartford Marathon thwarted by a sudden ankle injury. Burfoot, a Mystic resident, had been running without pain for 15 years, and his greatest joy was being able to run pain-free. Having set history in 1968 as the winner of the Boston Marathon and the first American to win since John J. Kelley in 1957, Burfoot was determined to become the first person to run a marathon in an eighth consecutive decade of his life.

However, during a media photo shoot on a beach in Mystic, he rolled his ankle and strained additional tissues in his foot. Although no broken bones were detected, Burfoot is now on the wait list for an MRI to investigate further. Despite this setback, Burfoot expressed his disappointment and embarrassment for not fulfilling his promise to set the eight-decade record.

He remains committed to attending the marathon and cheering on the other runners from the finish line, with plans to attempt the race again in the future. In the meantime, Burfoot continues his physical therapy twice a week, hoping to regain his fitness for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day, a race he has participated in for 63 years straight.