JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Deirdre Larkin breezes through Johannesburg’s suburbs most mornings, her white hair buffeted by the wind as she runs her well-trodden 8km training course.

　　约翰内斯堡(法新社)——大多数早晨，迪尔德丽.拉金都在约翰内斯堡的近郊轻松度过，在她进行8公里的常规跑步训练时，她的白发被微风轻轻吹起。

　　At 85 years old, this retired concert pianist who only began running in later life can complete a half marathon in just over two hours and holds the world record time for her age.

　　这位85岁的退休钢琴演奏家，在晚年生活中才开始跑步，可以在两个小时内完成半程马拉松，创造了她这个年龄组的世界纪录。

　　"Before I turned 78, the last time I ran was in college, and I was really bad," she said, standing in her home in front of a wall of some 500 medals recognising her athletic feats.

　　“在我78岁之前，我上一次跑步还是在大学，而且那时我跑得很烂，”拉尔金站在家中有500多块运动奖牌的一面墙前说。

　　Stopping for selfies with children and to offer her fellow runners encouragement, Larkin has become a major draw at the races she runs.

　　跑步时停下来和孩子们自拍、给跑步的小伙伴们以鼓励，拉尔金成为她所在的比赛队伍里的明星人物。

　　"As people pass me, because most people pass me, they greet me and say ’hello - I saw you on TV!’ " she said following a recent 10-km race in Pretoria.

　　她最近在比勒陀利亚进行了10公里的比赛后表示，“当人们从我身边经过时——因为大多数人都会超过我，他们向我打招呼，说‘你好，我在电视上看到你了!’”

　　Her late fame as a runner has come as a surprise for the pianist who arrived in South Africa from Britain in 1970.

　　这位1970年从英国来到南非的钢琴家，成了有名的跑步者，这简直是个传奇。

　　Shortly after 2000, Larkin’s doctor diagnosed her with osteoporosis which she was unable to treat with medication or injections.

　　2000年初，拉尔金被医生诊断患有骨质疏松症，无法进行药物或者注射治疗。

　　Then in 2010, one of her four children briefly moved into her home in Johannesburg’s middle-class Randburg suburb - where she has been dubbed by local media the "Grande Dame of Randburg".

　　2010年，她4个儿子中的一个搬进了她在约翰内斯堡中产阶级兰德堡郊区的家中暂住——在那里她被本地媒体授予“兰德堡夫人”的称号。

　　"My son ran three times a week. I said I would join him. When I started, I was walking three steps, running three steps, walking three steps...," she recalled.

　　她回忆起，“我的儿子一周跑步三次。我说我要和他一起跑。开始时，我是走三步，跑三步，再走三步……”

　　Just seven years later, her running had been transformed. In May she was invited to compete in Switzerland where she completed a half-marathon in two hours five minutes, setting a world record for her age group.

　　仅仅七年后，她的跑步有了转变。今年5月，她被邀请参加瑞士的一场比赛，以2小时5分钟的时间完成了半程马拉松比赛，创造了她这个年龄组的世界纪录。

　　"Running in Geneva was absolute magic, the race itself was lovely. It was flat, you started in the gardens, you came to the fields and you ran alongside the lake," she said.

　　她说，“在日内瓦跑步绝对是一件很有吸引力的事，比赛本身就很有意思，那里地势平坦，从花园开始起跑，穿过田野，经过湖畔……”

　　To stay in shape, Larkin adheres to a strict regimen - no sugar, salt or coffee and a 5:00 am start every day for training.

　　为了保持体型，拉尔金遵循严格的养生法——饮食中无糖、无盐，不喝咖啡，每天早上5点起床锻炼。

　　Last year alone she ran in 65 races, including several 21km half-marathons.

　　仅在2016年，拉尔金就参加了65场跑步赛事，其中几场是21公里的半程马拉松。

　　"There’s always an element of disbelief. I can’t believe I’ve done it. But my body tells me the next day I certainly did it," she said.

　　她说，“有时总有一点儿怀疑，我不敢相信我做到了。不过我的身体告诉我，第二天我仍然能跑下去。”

　　And despite preparing to turn 86 in September, Larkin has no intention of slowing down.

　　尽管今年9月拉尔金就要86岁了，她并未打算因此放慢自己的脚步。

　　"I can imagine a life without running but it’s a kind of slow death," she said. "I’m going to run as long as I can - even if I only have one leg, I’ll manage."

　　“我没办法想象没有跑步的人生，那就好比慢性死亡。我会一直跑下去，即使我只剩下一条腿，我也会跑。”拉尔金说道。