Dita and Me

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I’ve been channeling Constantina Tomescu-Dita as I head out the door for my early morning runs. In my head I think of her as “Dita” and her name is a chant moving me forward when I get tired and want to slow down. At 38, this Romanian mother has become the oldest Olympic marathon champion in history. She wasn’t expected to win. The night she won, my husband and I watched her run. Pumping her arms, her mouth set, she was determined and it looked like she was barely breathing. With more than 10 miles to go, she broke away from the chase pack of women runners and left them grimacing in her shadow.