In 2019, I have had a goal of running at least 100 miles each month using the @Aaptiv app.  Some months are more comfortable than others, but my focus has not been on getting faster but getting my goal done each month.  As I was doing one of the running programs, I heard the story of someone who finished a 5-Kilometer race in just over 42 minutes. Admittedly, this does not seem like the fastest time, yet oddly enough, it is a world record.  This was done by 96-year-old Roy Englert, who broke his own record in the 95-99-year-old class for the 5K race by almost 8 minutes.

What is inspiring about this story is that Englert didn’t even start running until he was in his 60’s.

Englert is humble about his accomplishments, and I appreciate his focus on consistent work over time. Below is an excerpt from the “Runners World” website on his achievements:

According to his National Senior Games Association profile, Englert runs about two to three miles a day, mostly on a treadmill a half block from where he lives in the Lake Ridge Retirement Living Community. When it gets closer to race day, he will up his daily mileage to three or four miles, and also incorporate speedwork on an indoor track.

Though many people have labeled Englert as an inspiration, he waves off their compliments.

“I don’t consider myself that much of an inspiration. I’m a slow runner,” he said in the profile. “But I guess I’ve outlasted almost everybody. It gets easier to win when there’s not as much competition around.”

A couple of things that this made me think of:

1. Hard work over a period of time is not only about the product but it is about the actual process of sticking with hard work over time.  This process is valuable to life and learning.  Personally, I get up and run to stick with it.  Of course, there are other health (mental and physical) benefits that come with the process, but it is just about getting out there and moving that is most important to me.

2. I often talk about the idea regarding students are never too young to make a difference in the world. But Englert’s story is a reminder that we are never too old to start something new. Age is not as big a barrier as is our way of thinking.

Just an inspiring story I heard that I wanted to share with others.

Source: George Couros