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SHARPSVILLE— After bringing home three medals from the National Senior Games, Anne White said she is looking forward to the next national competition in a couple years. But, the 95- year-old Sharpsville resident also said she hopes to be an inspiration to people of any age. The 2025 National Senior Games were held from July 30 through Aug. 3 in Des Moines, Iowa, where...

SHARPSVILLE — After bringing home three medals from the National Senior Games, Anne White said she is looking forward to the next national competition in a couple years.

But, the 95-year-old Sharpsville resident also said she hopes to be an inspiration to people of any age.

“The most important thing is to stay active,” White said.

The 2025 National Senior Games were held from July 30 through Aug. 3 in Des Moines, Iowa, where White secured bronze medals in the 50-meter dash and 100-meter dash, and a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay.

Present to support White were 10 members of her family, ranging from children to great-grandchildren.

“My granddaughter was even able to come in from Sweden. They came in from all over,” White said of her family.

White and her family made sure to wear bright pink shirts that read “We Run With Grandma Anne” and “Defying Limits Since 1929,” the year of White’s birth.

White said the shirts caused her group to stand out during the games, with many calling her “Grandma Anne” as a result.

White’s family helped in a variety of ways, such as her great-granddaughter Hauna helping White practice passing the baton using a banana in the family’s Airbnb or her son-in-law Dan Burlinghaus catching her at the finish line of the 4x100 meter relay.

“My goal was to finish that race standing up, I didn’t want to be on my knees or falling down, so I asked him to be at the end of the race to catch me,” White said.

There are also multiple coaches, teachers and trainers in White’s family who gave advice such as keeping her head up when running.

“They all made this possible,” White said.

This year’s wins at the National Senior Games were an especially significant accomplishment for White, who suffered a fractured femur in her hip on July 9, 2024.

White said she endured six months of rehabilitation followed by continued physical therapy and occupational therapy at home — although she was determined to regain her mobility and independence.

Thanks to her determination and the support of her family, White was eventually able to return to her normal life and later compete in the National Senior Games.

“I knew I was not going into a nursing home,” White said.

White said she started running about 20 years ago as a way to support the Mercer County Area Agency on Aging, which organizes the Mercer County Senior Games.

White previously participated in the 2023 National Senior Games held in Pittsburgh, and competed in the Ohio State Senior Games in Westerville, Ohio to qualify for the 2025 National Senior Games.

Although she does some training in the lead-up to the National Senior Games, White said her normal routine does not revolve around athletics.

Instead, White has a variety of things she does every day, from stretching to squats to walking.

She also has different activities throughout the community she does once or twice a week, such as playing euchre and bocce or visiting with the nurses at Sharon Regional Health System’s home hospice service, since White is herself a former nurse.

“You have to find something to do so that you keep moving,” White said.

The National Senior Games are held on odd-numbered years, so the next competition will be in 2027 in Tulsa, Okla.

And even though she will be 98 years old, White said she plans to compete when the time comes.

“I’m going to stay active and keep myself busy, because I’m going to be there,” White said.

Sharpsville resident takes gold, bronze medals at National Senior Games