“I’ll keep going until I can’t go any more. If I live to 100, I want to still be going.”

After pounding the streets for more than four decades on a journey of perseverance and self-discovery, Edwina Arorash has no intention of slowing up anytime soon.

Arorash’s longevity in road running, which started in 1979 in the first of 40 Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby appearances, will be recognised tomorrow by Swan’s Running Club, which is hosting a five-kilometre charity race in her honour.

“I feel really humbled and proud to have a race held in my honour,” the 66-year-old said. “I’m a really shy person who is always in the background but it feels special to be recognised in this way.

“I want to thank Swan’s Running Club for honouring me. I am highly grateful.

“I don’t think any of the people that were running when I started out are running any more; I might just be the only one left.

“I feel truly blessed that I’ve been able to keep running for as long as I have and now I feel like I can inspire others to get out there and do what they want, no matter how old they are.

“Running is the sort of thing that you have to learn to love and be a strong-willed person because it takes time. For me it became a way of life. There is a lot to it if you want to keep going year after year. It’s definitely a passion of mine because it has changed my life.”

However, her love affair with running has not always been a straightforward road.

After being inspired by witnessing trailblazer Merernette Bean compete in the May 24 race in 1977, Arorash’s natural determination came to the fore as she set out to test herself and quite literally follow in Bean’s footsteps.

“I was 23 at the time and what got me into it was seeing that only men were running the May 24 race,” she added. “However, I saw Merernette Bean run in 1977 and it was just so impressive because at that time I don’t think I thought a female could run the 13.1 miles.

“I had never even run a mile, and when I saw her do it, I thought to myself, ‘Well, let’s see if I can do that.’

“When I started, I was just terrible but I built up mile by mile, and by 1979 I felt ready to try my first half-marathon. I was so nervous because I only got eight miles of training in, and so by the time I got to Scaur Hill there was nobody in sight.

“I considered stopping, but my brother-in-law cycled beside me the whole way and I managed to finish it. By the time I got to the finish, they had started packing up and they had to guess my time.

“Reaching the finish line was a combination of feeling good, but also not great at the same time because everyone had already left and was not around to see my accomplishment.”

Rather than being deterred by the gruelling experience, Arorash set out on a personal challenge, putting the wheels in motion of turning a hobby into a lifestyle.

“It’s funny because that first race was horrible but lit a fire in me and I just haven’t stopped since,” she said. “Running was a way of testing myself. I wanted to see how far I could push myself to see if I’d ever get tired. I used to run the race and then do the parade afterwards as a majorette.

“Running changed my spirit and woke up my mind; that’s what really kept me going. Seeing myself getting better kept me motivated to keep going.

“I got quicker and as the years went on people were still at the finish line when I was finishing the half-marathon,” she added. “They even started looking out for me.”

As the years went on Arorash’s path stretched far beyond the shores of Bermuda, taking her around the world to compete in races in the United States and Europe.

“I’ve done the New York City Marathon twice, Chicago twice, Washington twice, Atlanta, Las Vegas, as well as races in Paris and Madrid; they were all amazing experiences,”

“I never thought about running overseas, and doing events like the New York marathon was just so scary. It was just massive, so much bigger than what I was used to in Bermuda.

“Travelling around parts of the world and running from what was a hobby still just seems crazy to me.”

As well as a determination to test her own limits throughout her journey, Arorash revealed her longevity has also been fuelled by a burning desire to keep proving the doubters wrong.

“When I first started out running some people were negative; even now people still ask me if I’m still out there running and I tell them as long as my legs keep taking me I’ll be there,” she added.

“They are telling me that I should give it up at my age, but why would I?

“I’ve always thrived off negative people trying to discourage me. I just wanted to keep proving them wrong; that’s what has kept me going.

“I’ve got nothing left to prove now because I’ve done everything. I don’t know why people are negative, but funnily enough that probably kept me going.

“I want to show people that it’s never too late to start. I’m probably the oldest female runner in Bermuda and I want to show other older people here that it is possible.”

Just as she was inspired by Merernette Bean four decades ago, Arorash is now reluctantly accepting that role as the inspiration to others.

“A lot of people have said they have been inspired by me just as I was by Merernette Bean,” she said. “My sister-in-law, Donna Mae has done a lot because of me and then in turn there are a lot of people she has inspired.

“I’m probably just about getting used to being looked at as an inspiration because I’ve never looked at it in that way.

“All I really want to do is show that anybody can do it, you just have to do it in the right way. Also don’t let people discourage you — if you want to get there and start running, do it.

“You don’t need to go from zero to 100; it took me 40 years to do it. You have to keep at it and persevere.

“I’ve had a lot of people doubting me and being negative, but if I had listened to them I wouldn’t be where I am now and still absolutely loving it.”

• UPDATE: this article has been amended to correct that Edwina Arorash's sister-in-law is Donna Mae Arorash and not Donna Raynor. We apologise for the error