A Cornish septuagenarian has been named one of the fastest female runners in the New York City Marathon and crowned Marathon Majors Worldwide Champion 2025.

Andrea Simmons, who is 71 and from Newlyn, triumphed in the 70+ category at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, completing it in a time of 3 hours, 37 minutes and 48 seconds.

Her remarkable performance earned her top honours among tens of thousands of international competitors in one of the world’s most prestigious running events.

Andrea also clinched first place in the 70+ age category in the Boston Marathon. Boston and New York are two of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the others being London, Berlin, Chicago, and Tokyo. As the NYC race was the age group championship, Andrea now holds the title of worldwide champion for 2025.

Of the New York City Marathon, Andrea said: “It was a great experience, especially running through Central Park at the end.”

Moving forward, she intends to complete the World Majors, running in Japan in March 2026, Cape Town in May and and Chicago in October. Her journey will see her collect the coveted Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star medal.

After dabbling with running in her 30s, it wasn’t until Andrea hit her 50s that she really hit her stride. She uses the Cornish elements to her advantage: “Running in Cornwall is always a challenge. There are no flat runs, and living by the sea, you continually have the wind to contend with. This can only make you a better runner.”

Andrea runs with Hayle Runners and currently holds the title of Veteran of the Year. Club chairman Richard Collett said: “We’re enormously proud of Andrea. Her New York result not only demonstrates exceptional athletic endurance, but also underscores her status as a global inspiration to masters athletes and older runners everywhere.”