101 years young and training for a marathon? Seriously!

Already Britain’s oldest employee,101-year-old Buster Martin now aims to become the world’soldest marathon runner by completing the London Marathon andcelebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette.Sprightly and bearded, he completed a half marathon at theweekend in five hours 13 minutes. The former Army physicaltraining instructor works three days a week for a Londonplumbing firm and says he has trained for the April 13th racein his spare time.   

“I’ve said I’ll attempt it,” he told Reuters by telephonefrom his workplace at Pimlico Plumbers. “I haven’t said I’llcomplete it. If I do make it, all the better. I hadn’t thoughtof doing it before but someone asked me and the money goes tocharity so why not?”  His sponsorship money will go to the Rhys Daniels Trust,which provides temporary accommodation for families of patientsin specialist children’s hospitals.   

Martin, who had 17 children and returned to work at the ageof 99 saying he was bored after two years of retirement, wouldbeat the previous record for world’s oldest marathon runner byeight years.

Source/more:  Reuters UK, http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKL0516367220080306

Ed:  I turn 50 this year and hope to run my first 1/2 marathon before my birthday rolls around.  I can see that my next goal is a marathon at age 102, just to achieve a record.  52 years should give me just enough time to train.