I started running when I was 77. Now at age 85 I run 10K twice a week.

• Barbara Thackray is an 85-year-old woman in Altrincham, England, who never ran before she was 77.
• To raise money for the hospice that supported her sister, Barbara decided to run her first 10k race at 77.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Barbara Thackray. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

At 77 years old, I laced up my old trainers and attempted my very first run. I'd been walking for years but had never gone for a run. When I was 50, in 1988, my husband at the time and other family members walked 280 miles over 18 months along the Pennine Way, a trail winding along the central mountains of England. It was something I had always wanted to do. There was some very difficult terrain, and it was a bit painful. Everything hurt. I lost nine of my toenails in the first five days.

Five years later, my marriage had ended, but I kept walking both with friends of mine and alone on long-distance walks all over the UK. I quickly learned how naturally fast I walked in comparison to others. I did the Southwest Coastal Path, which is about 600 miles, with different fast-walking companions.

When I was 77, my nephew asked if I would like to run the Trafford 10k road race to raise money for St. Ann's Hospice. St. Ann's had taken care of my sister when she was dying in 1988. I'm a great believer in the hospice movement. Every single one of us is going to die. If we die in a hospital, the death is considered a failure. But hospices recognize these are the last days, and they want to make people's death the best possible. They do such a wonderful job.

I had to learn how to run

I felt enthusiastic about the prospect of running the race, but I first had to learn how to run. I had never done it before. A mistake I made at the beginning was trying to run too fast. It is what a lot of would-be runners do on their first attempt. My son told me I needed to start by alternating between running and walking. I kept asking my son when my legs would stop hurting. He told me it would be about 40 days, and that was right. By 40 days, I could run a 10k without stopping, even if it was a bit slow.

I finished that first race in one hour and 23 minutes.

After that, I kept on running. Once a week, I would leave the house around 6 am to run 10k. In lockdown, I upped it to two 10ks a week because what else was I going to do with all that time? I've kept up running twice a week since then. On my off days, I make sure I get 10,000 steps of walking in.

I'll go in any weather except for ice and snow. I tried a running machine, but I didn't cope with it. Getting out of the door into nature, seeing and experiencing it with all my senses — it helps me to focus on the here and now and appreciate the miracle and wonders of nature. I never have anything in my ears to distract me from what is around me when I'm running.

I have less pain now

Since running, I've noticed that any niggles of pain in my joints are essentially healed by running. It's been such a surprise. I've only ever had one injury. Last December, I tripped using some new running shoes and had to rest from running for a few weeks. Other than that, running has only brought me pleasure, not pain.

I've now run over 10 races, and for each one, I've always won a prize for my age category because it's only been me in it.

This year, Adidas asked me to be part of their running campaign that highlights that you can take sport at any age. I agreed, but only if they agreed to donate to St. Ann's.

People's eyes often pop out when I tell them that I run. They are really impressed. But I don't run to impress people. I run to keep being able to raise money for St. Ann's Hospice. I've now raised about $23,000 for St. Ann's. They are the reason I started running, and they're the reason I plan to keep running.