BATON ROUGE — Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins, a local sprinter who was the oldest woman to compete in the National Senior Games, died Tuesday evening in Baton Rouge at age 108, family told WBRZ.

Hawkins passed peacefully at St. James Place. Her daughter Jugie Battle says Hawkins was busy right up until the end. She had a visitor at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and died around 8 p.m.

"She said she was ready to go and then just went," Battle said. "We were really lucky she didn't suffer."

Hawkins started running when she was 100. Her son saw someone had run a 100-yard dash for their 100th birthday and encouraged his mom to do the same thing.

"We went outside with a stopwatch and she did it too, a star was born, she had a whole new career," Battle said.

Battle says her mom always knew she could run and joked that Hawkins used to say, "I knew I could run because I ran when the telephone rang."

"See lots of sunrises, sunsets, rainbows, beautiful birds, beautiful music, things that people say to you that make you feel good, all those wonderful magical moments," Hawkins said, telling WBRZ her advice for a fulfilling life in a previous interview before her death.

In the past, Hawkins always spoke of how grateful she was to be able to be active in her old age, hoping she could inspire others to do the same.

"I hope I'm inspiring them to be healthy and to realize you can still be doing this at this kind of an age," Hawkins said. "I've been here longer than I thought I'd be already."

Hawkins always kept active riding her bike or outside gardening. She had competed in cycling for a long time but stopped when she became the oldest at every event.

In 2017, at 101, Hawkins earned her nickname by being the oldest woman to compete in the National Senior Games 50-meter and 100-meter dash events. She broke these records two years later. In both years, she ran faster than the winners of the 94-99 age brackets.

An LSU alumna, Hawkins was also the first woman and first American to establish a 105-plus age group track record, WBRZ reported in 2021. Hawkins also won two gold medals in the next three National Senior Olympics.

Louisiana and Baton Rouge figures reacted to the Senior Olympian's death.

"Her life and achievements highlighted the importance of health, active living, and resilience, particularly for seniors in our community. Her legacy encourages Baton Rouge residents to prioritize physical wellness and demonstrates that age is no barrier to pursuing new challenges," Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said. "Julia’s story will continue to inspire our city to embrace vitality and determination in all stages of life."

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser shared his own experience with Hawkins and celebrated her legacy.

"Julia was a true inspiration, picking up running after her 100th birthday and setting world records in her age group. Her spirit and determination to stay active and engage with life touched so many. We will keep her and her family in our prayers during this difficult time," Nungesser said in a Facebook post honoring the late Olympian. "Thank you, Julia, for showing us all that age is just a number!"