Humans of New York features 91-year-old runner with an inspirational story

“I didn’t start running until I was 51 years old. I was a wimp at the time. A nothing. My marriage had fallen apart. I was only seeing my children on the weekends. I wasn’t sleeping well. I was waking up at 5:30 AM every morning, probably after a long night of drinking, and so I decided that I might as well go for a walk. As I walked around the park, I’d always see these runners out there. So I decided to give that a try. After a few weeks I could run six miles. After a year, I tried to run a marathon. I hit a wall at the twenty-mile mark, but I threw up and took a leak, then I found the energy to finish. I’ve been pushing through walls ever since. I ran sixteen marathons in seventeen years, until my doctor told me that I had to stop because of my heart. After that, I started walking ten miles a day. Now I’m 91 and my kneecap keeps collapsing, and I have trouble with my balance. But I’m still more confident than I ever was when I was younger. I was a wimp.”

A photo posted by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on Feb 20, 2016 at 11:23am PST

Humans of New York, a blog featuring portraits and interviews of those found wandering the streets of New York City, featured a running-related story today.

The website, which has gained a strong social following through Instagram and Facebook, was started in 2010 by Brandon Stanton, an American photographer.

The post features an older gentleman who began running when he was 51. Within one year, he attempted the marathon.

Now 91 years of age, the man has conquered the 42.2K distance on 16 occasions and continues to walk on a daily basis. His story about hitting the wall at the 20-mile mark in his first marathon is priceless.

The man had the following to say, as posted on the Humans of New York Instagram and Facebook pages:

“I didn’t start running until I was 51 years old. I was a wimp at the time. A nothing. My marriage had fallen apart. I was only seeing my children on the weekends. I wasn’t sleeping well. I was waking up at 5:30 AM every morning, probably after a long night of drinking, and so I decided that I might as well go for a walk. As I walked around the park, I’d always see these runners out there. So I decided to give that a try. After a few weeks I could run six miles. After a year, I tried to run a marathon. I hit a wall at the twenty-mile mark, but I threw up and took a leak, then I found the energy to finish. I’ve been pushing through walls ever since. I ran sixteen marathons in seventeen years, until my doctor told me that I had to stop because of my heart. After that, I started walking ten miles a day. Now I’m 91 and my kneecap keeps collapsing, and I have trouble with my balance. But I’m still more confident than I ever was when I was younger. I was a wimp.”