WARNING: This article will make some people defensive, upset, while others will find hope in it. Proceed with caution.

If I were to tell you about a 20-something runner who sometimes runs 20 miles in the morning and then 20 miles that same afternoon, you’d be impressed. Correct? What if I said that he was actually 41 years old? That would be even more impressive because we all know that athletes in their forties are past their prime. Right? So what would you say if this runner was twice his age, or 82 years old? That’s how it is! According runner world Gail Kislevitz of Evaro magazine, Bob Hayes of Montana, 82, occasionally takes two 20-mile runs in a single day. But that is not all.

Bob runs almost every day and likes to “run every weekend” he can. This stocky-fit octogenarian competes in everything from 5Ks to marathons and ultramarathons (anything over 26.2 miles). Since, with the encouragement of his son, Thomas, he ran his first 5K at age 60 and found he liked it, he has run six marathons (two last year alone), 36 ultras (including 8 or 9 100Ks/62 milers ), and countless shorter runs.

Last month, Bob, now 83, completed his 12th LeGrizz 50-Miler (his first was at age 70); his time of 10 hours and 47 minutes, or just under 13 minutes per mile, was 17 minutes faster than he did three years earlier, when he was just 80 years old. This last LeGrizz race wasn’t easy, because the temperature at the start was record low, for early October: zero degrees FARENHEIT! Brrrrr. One might assume that, at his age, Bob would come a distant last in such a long race, but he actually came in 63rd out of 91 competitors; that means Bob had the energy and stamina to outrun 28 much younger riders.

Some readers at this point wonder, “Why would anyone, especially someone in their eighties, subject themselves to the pain and exhausting effort that must be a necessary component of running 50 miles?” Here are some of the reasons the octogenarian ultra-runner willingly competes in these races, knowing full well the struggle and suffering he’s about to endure each time:

• The Social Aspect — Hanging out and chatting with other runners of all ages and abilities before, during, and after a race is so much more fun than spending time at the senior center.
• the feeling of accomplishment after a race, the high, the feeling of satisfaction at having completed a very difficult task, stays with Bob for “days and days and days.”
• Be in a good form – Because of this vigorous activity of choice, running and ultra running, Bob Hayes at age 80 is in better shape than he was at 60, before he started running. This former lumberjack, who was always in excellent shape due to his physically demanding job, is said to have said at age 80, “I’m in the best shape of my life.” How many people in their 80s, 60s, or even 40s can say that?

At this point, there are those who feel threatened by Bob’s achievements, who feel that he is displaying them by virtue of his excellent physical shape at such an advanced age. These people are mentally busy making up excuses (reasons, so to speak) why Bob can do all this on the run… and they can’t. I hope it’s not you, because this story by Bob Hayes, runner extraordinaire, is meant to give the rest of us hope, not make the rest of us look bad. It is written for the sole purpose of demonstrating, or at least helping us to believe, that by making some adjustments to our lifestyle or continuing to take good care of ourselves, we too can stay or be in great shape no matter our age. It’s to show that we don’t have to deteriorate at the same rapid rate that seems to be the norm for so many in today’s society. Bob Hayes shows us by his example that we can be vibrantly alive no matter how many years have passed.

We can feel that Bob is showing us, that his good health is just a lucky genetic freak of nature, and make excuses for our own failings, or we can use his story to give us hope, use it as the impetus to make some changes for the better. The choice, as always, is up to us!