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At 100, Dixon's Superpower Is Willpower

January 11, 2025 2 min read 5 Comments

At 100, Dixon's Superpower Is Willpower

Dixon in his 90s doing what he loved. Running. 

 

By Ray Glier

My friend Dixon Hemphill of Burke, Va., turned 100 yesterday, Jan. 10. It is his first birthday since the passing of his beloved wife, June, last spring.

Dixon was one of my first Geezer Jock stories in 2022. He started out as a pole vaulter in high school and college. Then he started running.

And he ran and ran and ran. From 5ks to Marathons, Dixon ran hundreds of races.

“It was attitude,” Dixon told me this week. “It was an attitude to love running. I was addicted to running.”

I asked him what his secret was to run up until he was 98.

“That’s it,” he said. “It was attitude.”

His most memorable moment, he said, came at 70 years old when he ran in Virginia Beach and qualified for The Boston Marathon. Hemphill ran the famous marathon in 3 hours, 44 minutes.

His next most memorable moment, to me, came during the Covid Pandemic, before the vaccine. He was 95. Dixon and June stayed inside their home rather than risk infection from a disease that was killing thousands. 

He tried to use a stationary bike, but it was no use. Accustomed to running on the spongy indoor surface at George Mason University, Hemphill’s legs atrophied. He had to get around the house in a walker.

“I was worried I might not regain my ability to run again,” Hemphill said. “I was miserable.”

He didn’t want his last lap to be with a walker.

It wasn’t.

Dixon made his way back and competed again for the Potomac Valley Track Club.

I wrote in 2022:

“What Hemphill has going for him is a tangible intangible. Willpower. It is his anchor, which is a fitting metaphor for a Navy man (he was in WWII). Willpower can be invisible to others, but it has pulled many an athlete out of rut when they face serious odds.”

Hemphill's superpower is his willpower.

Happy Birthday Dixon!

Dixon and June at The Finish Line of another race.


5 Responses

John Baxter
John Baxter

May 04, 2025

Dixon has to be a hero for any long-distance runner of any level. We often encountered each other at the annual Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run and while training at Burke Lake.. Dixon could not be nicer and more unassuming. While chatting on a 10 mile training run with him at Burke Lake (easily 20-30 years ago) and a fellow runner asked what had changed quite noticeably since his youth. Dixon’s swift reply was surprising.. Growing up in New England he recounted the sky was full of dirigibles. It was always a delight to see and chat (run) with this War Veteran and gentleman. Thank you Dixon!

Terry Woods
Terry Woods

May 03, 2025

Ran with him a several DCRR events in the 80’s also bought several pairs of running shoes at his store in Fairfax. Reading this story has inspired this 70 year old to do little running during my daily walks. Happy Birthday Dixon!

Julie Hayden
Julie Hayden

January 24, 2025

Many congratulations to Dixon! My road trip from Northern Virginia to the Hartshorne Mile with he and his coach, Alisa Harvey, will always be a special memory!

Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor

January 12, 2025

Dixon is (and has been) a great example of the popular expression “all good and no bad.” Keep on keeping on, Dixon.

Robert S Weiner
Robert S Weiner

January 11, 2025

Dixon is a hero to us all and a wonderful person. Happy 100th Birthdsay Dixon!
Bob Weiner, creator and former long-time chair, USATF Masters Media Ciommittee

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