There is a belief out there that if you keep the body moving as you age, it will reward you in the future more than it’ll hurt you. For a few elder American runners, the reward is having their names attached to world records. Over the weekend at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships, headlines were made after a pair of centenarians set new world records on the track.
In the men’s 60m race, 100-year-old Orville Rogers (pictured above) set a new age group world record by completing the race in an astounding time of 19.13 seconds. The winner of this race was 90-year-old Edward Cox – he finished with an impressive time of 11.73 seconds.
During the women’s 60m race, 102-year-old Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins (pictured above with Rogers) set her own world record in the aged 100+ category by reaching the finish line in 24.79 seconds.
Fortunately, there is video footage of these incredible races:
🚨🚨 World Record Alert! 🚨 🚨
100-year-old Orville Rogers (lane 2) set a new age group record in the men’s 60m in 19.13 at USATF Masters Indoor Championships! #USATFmasterstrack pic.twitter.com/A3QuZz1iPZ — USATF (@usatf) March 17, 2018
Way to go, Julia! Watch 102-year-old Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins set a new 🌎record in the women’s 100+ 60m in 24.79 🔥🔥🔥! #USATFmasterstrack pic.twitter.com/WbPG0VW25O
— USATF (@usatf) March 17, 2018
The “Masters Track and Field [group] consists of local, regional, national and international competition opportunities for athletes 30 years and older. All levels of ability are welcomed and encouraged to participate.” It also focuses on promoting “fitness, friendship, volunteerism, athletic development, competition, and sportsmanship.”
To encourage Zoomer-aged individuals to stay fit, CARP – a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates for financial security and improved health care for Canadians as we age – has launched its Stand Up Straight and Move Our Buns to Preserve Your Mind Campaign. Click here to learn more about it.
-Adam Grant
On a recent episode of “theZoomer,” host Marissa Semkiw was joined by fitness, nutrition and other wellness experts who shared tips on aging well and how to live longer by taking care of both the body and the mind. You can watch this episode below.