Imagine setting a personal record in the marathon at age 66. Liz Lancaster did so last May at the Bayshore Marathon, running a 4:10:35.

The Hastings resident nearly matched that time four months later winning her age group at the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon. Quite a year.

Lancaster, our Senior Female Runner of the Year, won her age division in every Michigan Runner Series race she entered. They included the Borgess Half Marathon (1:57:12), Fifth Third River Bank 25K (2:25:30), Volkslaufe 20K (2:00:54), Allen Park 8K (44:42), Crim 10 Mile (1:31:04), Cadillac Festival of Races 10K (53:11), Capital City River Run 10 Mile (1:28:10) and Free Press Marathon (4:17:21).

The now-67-year-old also became a great-grandmother for the first time. She and her husband, Allen, have three daughters, two sons and eight grandchildren.

"She's an inspirational mom," youngest-daughter Cami Lancaster says. "She worked full-time as a registered nurse all the time we were growing up, and still works part-time.

"It amazes me that Mom has strength and stamina to run as far as she does."

Lancaster, who started running at age 41, entered her first race, a Hastings Summerfest 7.2-miler, three years later. Now she runs almost every year at her hometown festival, which offers 10K and 5K races.

"It used to be Mom won her age group over two or three other people," remembers Cami. "Now a lot more women compete with her, but she still comes home with first place."

Lancaster's trophy case offers proof. "Dad built Mom this 6x8-foot cabinet for her trophies, medals and plaques," Cami says. "It's packed. I doubt she can fit any more inside."

Liz Lancaster likes longer distances. "I really enjoy half-marathons and 20Ks," she says.

She considers last year's Volklaufe 20K one her better effort. In that race, Cathy Detman, 2001 Female Senior Runner of the Year, was ahead of Lancaster until late. When Lancaster passed, Detman offered encouragement.

"I like doing the marathons too," says Lancaster. "But the marathon takes a lot out of you."

Prior to this year, she'd done three marathons, her first coming in 1993 at Chicago. She entered this year's Bayshore hoping to qualify for the 2004 Boston Marathon by running faster than 4:45.

She did so with 35 minutes to spare, in the process destroying her former 4:36 PR.

"I never dreamed that I'd qualify for Boston," she says. "When the Free Press came around, I was almost afraid to do two marathons in one year."

"I saw on the internet that the Boston course has big hills," says Lancaster. "I'd like to finish in under five hours.

"But I'll need to do serious training to run that fast." MR