Never Too Late

There's this sating, "Never too late", which we use to say. Sometimes it's true, sometimes it's just a way of saying.

Earlier today I was reading the news and came across an article on Twitter that brought back some nice memories. The article was about a 84-year-old Canadian man who completed the Antarctic Ice Marathon. By doing that, he became the oldest person to ever run a marathon in Antarctica.

This is absolutely amazing! At 84 many people are not able to walk, not to mention those who can't live to have 84 years. Running a marathon at 84 is a rare thing. I'd say you have to be trained for that but it's not always true. Before I go on, I must mention that running a marathon in Antarctica where the temperature is not exactly ideal, especially at that age is a fantastic achievement.

I wrote at the beginning of my post that the article brought back nice memories. I remember at my last running competition there was an old man, he was participating in the half marathon. It was the highlight of the competition as he was the oldest by far and the other runners knew him as he was traveling across the country and taking part as many competitions he could. He had long beard and looked like Santa.

Everyone had high respect for him as what he was doing was unique. I also thought hat off in front of him as not many people can do that at his age.

When you see an old man participating in a marathon or half marathon you think it's easy for him as he has most likely been running and training all his life. This can be true or not. The old man I was talking about started running after the age of 55 at his doctor's recommendations. He was suffering from some kind of lung disease (he was a miner) and the doctor told him to get as much fresh air as possible, so at first he started walking, then later running. This is how he became a marathon runner.

As I said, he had his own fame, he was a legend, a role model, everyone had a great respect for him. Then one day came the notice that he was hit by a car during his run and he passed away. I could not believe my eyes when I read it and was shocked and sad all day. At that age you expect people to pass way due to some kind of disease, not hit by car. He crossed the street where he shouldn't and it was the end of the road for him.

This 84 year old runner also deserves respect. At that temperature running on ice is not something to take lightly. He did it and I hope others will follow his good example.