TWIN ROCKS — Twice in her life, Marilyn Gregory turned to running.

It's worked out for her both times.

The 1993 Butler graduate recalled being involved in gymnastics as a young girl growing up in the district.

“Paul Uram was coaching gymnastics at the time and he used to pick me up from school when I was a sixth-grader to come work out with the high school girls,” Gregory said.

“I was really into gymnastics. Then, just like that, the program was gone.”

When high school gymnastics disappeared, Gregory turned to running “to burn up all my pent-up energy.”

She ran for the 1992 Butler High School team that won the WPIAL title. She was part of a 4x400 meter relay team that set a school record.

Gregory went on to Slippery Rock University, where she became part of a school-record 4x400 relay unit there. She also ran for the SRU cross country team that won the Western regional in 1995 and was ranked seventh in all of NCAA Division II.

“I graduated from college, life happens ... I got away from running,” Gregory said. “I didn't get back into it until I was about 35 years old. I wanted to get back in shape a little bit.”

She's still running.

She's still winning.

Now 43, Gregory competes in one or two USATrack and Field Masters events every year. She's been part of the TNT International Running Team, based out of Philadelphia, since 2014.

Even when she's not competing, she's still involved in the sport. Gregory lives in Twin Rocks, a small town in Cambria County. She is a high school English teacher and head track and field coach at Blacklick Valley High School.

And she loves life as a Masters runner.

“Those experiences have been so uplifting,” Gregory said. “You meet a lot of like-minded individuals. We're not as fast as we used to be, but we still love to run and we still love to compete.”

She met members of the TNT International team during a competition in Winston-Salem, N.C., a few years ago.

“Their roster had people of all ability levels,” she said. “They had former world record holders, Olympic Trial qualifiers, simply average runners ... I wanted to be a part of that.”

Gregory competed in the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Landover,. Md., last weekend. Seventy-six of TNT international's 95 team members participated in the meet, which featured 113 teams and more than 1,200 runners.

Competing in the 40-44 women's division, Gregory won the bronze medal in the 400 meters, placed fourth in the 3,000 meters, ran on gold-medal winning 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams and TNT International's silver medal winning 4x800 relay unit.

“I've run everything from the 400 meters to the 10-kilometer race,” Gregory said. “I run in whatever events my team needs me to do.

“I love being part of a team. You run for team points rather than just for yourself.”

No matter who Gregory runs for, she does quite well for herself. She has hundreds of medals and said “I place among the top three in my age group in most events I run.”

Don't expect Gregory to give up running and competition anytime soon.

At the USATF national indoor meet, there was a 102-year-old woman who set the 60-meter record for the women's age 100 division. A 100-year-old man set a world record in the men's age 100 division in the 1,500 meters.

“I'll do it for as long as I can,” Gregory said. “I'm inspired every time I go to one of these events. I look forward to them.”