In November 2006, Sue Junn, then 77, flew from her home in California to cheer along her daughter, Elise, as she ran the New York City Marathon for the fifth consecutive time. At the finish line, Sue, who had never run a marathon in her life and never considered herself even an amateur athlete, congratulated her daughter and joked about entering in next year’s race.

Fast forward a few weeks later. Sue is back home on the west coast celebrating her 78th birthday. She gets a call from Elise in New York:

“Mom, I have a birthday present for you, but you can’t see it, you can’t touch it or anything like that…would you still accept it?” asked Elise.

Sue assured her daughter she’d accept any gift from her. Within a few days, Sue received a letter in the mail explaining that the 78-year-old had been entered in the 2007 New York City Marathon, a 26.2-mile challenge.

Sue’s imminent participation in the race would raise funds for the Central Park Conservancy, a charity that helps maintain Central Park’s 843 acres of open space and more than 58 miles of pedestrian walkways.

“At that point, I thought ‘Well, now I have to run. I have no choice!'" laughs Sue. “My daughter said, ‘Mom, you’re strong. I know you can do this.'"

Sue enlisted the help of her 17-year-old granddaughter, Anna Murphy (daughter of Ellen, another of Sue’s three daughters). Sue and Anna started training in a neighborhood park in Anaheim Hills, Calif., where grandmother and granddaughter live within two miles of each other. It was Anna’s original intention to accompany her grandmother on her morning run/walks so Sue wouldn’t be alone in the park at such an early hour.

“She was my bodyguard,” said Sue. “You couldn’t ask for a better granddaughter than Anna. She’s so smart, loving and loyal.”

Soon enough, the two trainees were averaging 18 miles per outing and their special time together strengthened more than just their calf muscles. “What I like best is that I get to bond with my grandmother and hear all about her childhood in Korea,” said Anna.

That time in Korea, before she came to the States to study chemistry and raise her family, is the only thing Sue equates with prior athletic training. “There weren’t many cars or public transportation where I lived, so I got used to walking miles and miles back and forth from school everyday.”

So how does Sue feel after completing more than 26 miles in fewer than eight hours? “Sore!” Sue says. “Before I started training, I had a doctor tell me that nothing was wrong with me, but I still shouldn’t run. He said I was too old! But I did it.”

Her grandmother's triumph has left teenage Anna feeling ambitious – that anything is possible. “It’s inspirational,” says Anna, quite matter-of-factly. “I basically have the coolest grandmother on the planet.”