Tulsa Couple In Their 70s Prepare For Upcoming Half-Marathon

The Arkansas River and hilly terrain make Tulsa a fitting training ground for Bobby and Judy Bomer. The couple, both in their late 70s, have a combined 70 years of running experience and have logged thousands of miles along the way.

Bobby said he's run anywhere from 400 to 600 races but doesn't have a firm count. "If I don't place and get a medal I really don't have anything to show for it," he said. While Bobby's been running for most of his life, his wife, Judy, didn't pick it up until middle age. "You know, you have the big 5-0 facing you, you figure you better start getting in shape; your quality of life is important," she said with a smile.

Despite picking up the sport later in life, she's already completed 12 marathons and about 50 halves. Her most notable race? Qualifying for the Boston Marathon. "When you qualify for Boston, you gotta do Boston!" 

The Bomer's love for running has taken them other places as well: France, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the Grand Canyon, Sonoma, New Orleans, Boston, Chicago, Disney, Dallas, San Antonio, and Denver. They've competed in more races, of course, but these were the ones that came to mind first.

The couple of more than 50 years is now preparing for a new race to add to their list: The Cowtown Half Marathon on March 1 in Fort Worth, Texas. With plenty of downtime spent training, they expect to cross the finish line, and who knows? Maybe take home a medal. After all, it's happened before. "Last December I was the oldest female in the entire marathon, so all I had to do was finish and I got first place in my age group," said Judy.

While they enjoy running, they also do it to keep their bodies in shape so they don't deteriorate. "We hope to still be running in our 80s," said Judy. "It keeps us busy and it keeps us healthy and it keeps us enthused," added her husband, Bobby.

Once they mark Fort Worth off their list on Sunday, their eyes will then turn to Montana, where they're set to run another half marathon in June.