If the march of time couldn't stop Betty Jean McHugh from making a historical impact on the Honolulu Marathon, what chance did an unaware pooch have?

McHugh, an 80-year-old retired nurse from Northern Vancouver, set a world record for her age group (80-84) after finishing yesterday's Honolulu Marathon in an impressive 5 hours, 6 minutes and 34 seconds.

The previous record of 5:10:04 was set by Ida Mintz at the 1985 Chicago Marathon.

But McHugh almost passed on the race.

Two months ago, McHugh collided with a dog and suffered a fractured tibia and torn cartilage.

McHugh thought she'd have to sit on the sidelines and watch, but a rigorous regimen of water running and elliptical training, as well as her own considerable willpower, delivered her to the start line as scheduled.

A little over five hours later, she was the holder of a world record.

"I was planning to run-walk if I didn't feel right," McHugh said. "I was very careful. If my knee was sore, I would not have continued. It wouldn't have been worth it."

Defying expectations isn't anything new to McHugh.

She didn't take up running until she was in her 50s and, with the help of her running group, the Capilano Eagles, and another group of close running friends, McHugh has developed into a force on the course.

McHugh has run "17 or 18" marathons, including three in Honolulu, and said she has no plans to stop anytime soon.

In 2002, she set a world record for runners age 75 to 79 with a 4:10:58 finish. She broke that record by 20 seconds three years later at the Royal Victoria Marathon.

McHugh's accomplishment is all the more remarkable given that the Honolulu Marathon course doesn't lend itself to record-setting marks. With its deceptively long hills and typically hot, humid weather, Honolulu is considered a "slow" course by most experienced marathoners.

Still, neither the course nor the inclement weather bothered McHugh.

"The rain during the race didn't bother me nearly as much as waking up at 2:15 a.m. to rain crashing down all around outside," she said.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.