Age Is No Barrier!
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!).