Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Abilene, Texas — A 6-year-old girl finished a half marathon on Oct. 5 in Fairview, Texas breaking records for her age group and raising money for a national anti-abortion organization.
Keelan Glass knew she loved to run from an early age. Her mother, Tracy, told the Dallas News the family has always been active, and Keelan started showing an interest in running from when she was very young.
The idea for the half marathon came during a family Bible study. Tracy said she asked her children what gifts they believe God gave them. Keelan’s answer surprised her.
“ ‘I can run fast. I can run for babies just like you do, Mom,' ” Keelan told Tracy.
Tracy runs races with a group called Life Runners, a national anti-abortion organization. She said Keelan decided she wanted to run a half marathon and raise money along the way to donate to the group.
As Keelan crossed the finish line, the girl said she was elated to hear not only her time, but the amount of money she had raised.
“Announcing my name when I finished, and all the money that I raised was the best part," Keelan told the Dallas News. “It’s fun because I can do it for other people.”
Keelan raised over $3,000 total and broke all previous records for a child her age, coming in with a time of 2 hours, 47 minutes, 30 seconds. She placed fifth in the 14-and-under category. The runner closest to her age was 12 years old.
While she appears to be in perfect health, some doctors aren’t sure running that far at such a young age is advisable. Dallas pediatrician, William Moore, told the Dallas News he thinks the youngster could face some joint and bone issues from the repetitive pounding that running requires.
“I think they’re asking for trouble,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of potential for bad things and not a lot of potential for exceptionally good things to happen.”
Keelan told her mother she plans on running a full marathon by age 10. Tracy told the Dallas News she’s not so sure.
“Just because she could, I’m not sure that’s a good reason to,” Tracy said. “Mom would have to do a lot more research before that happens.”
