Age Is No Barrier!
Some of us seem to be outrunning Father Time!
There are a few “age related” running stories for you today.
At Sunday’s Toronto Marathon (flat, fast and festive!), 100-year-old Fauja Singh became the first centenarian to finish a marathon. His 8:25:16 wasn’t a particularly speedy time, but I think by the time you reach his age (You should be so lucky!), you’re a winner just by making it through your training! See a video of him finishing here.
Meanwhile, at that same race, while Fauja Singh was still working his way to the half-marathon mark, Ed Whitlock was wrapping up his marathon in 3:15:54. What makes this spectacular is that Whitlock is 80-years-old. You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that he won his age group. It was also a new world record. Of course, the record he broke was his own that he’d set six-months prior.
Incidentally, Whitlock was in Sacramento this summer for the World Masters Championships, where he set new age-division world records in the 1,500 and 10,000 meters. His times were 5:48 and 42:39, in case you are curious (Wow!).
Finally, a little closer to home, at the Humboldt Redwoods Half marathon Palmdale’s 29-year-old Sergio Reyes may have won the race in a speedy 1:06:59, but the real eye-popping time was the 1:13:11 run by Ross’s 55-year-old Brian Pilcher.
Pilcher was the top masters finisher in this competitive Pacific Association grand prix event, coming in a full three minutes ahead of the 2nd place masters runner, Roseville’s Michael Fadling 43, who finished 1:16:15.
The top woman was Michelle Meyer, of San Francisco, who finished in 1:19:54. The top masters woman was Valerie Young, of Novato, who came in at 1:20:56.
Loyal readers will have noted that Valerie Young was the overall winner at the prior weekend’s Willow Hills XC Open, in Folsom.
Complete results for the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon are here.
Age graded, Whitlock’s time equals 2:02 +/-. But, I’d think the time(s) that age graded tables are based on for 80 year olds are few and far between since so few in their 80s run marathons. Whatever – it is quite the achievement to run so fast at any age and more significantly at 80.
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