Liza Howard on January 1, 2020 / 20 comments

“ ‘Age-Old Runners’ is an article series where we explore runners’ performance potential after the age of 45 by interviewing excellent middle-aged runners. Is there still potential to improve? What roles do motivation, mindset, and specific training and recovery techniques play in allowing runners in their mid-forties to mid-sixties–and beyond–to continue to excel? To learn more about this series’ goals, check out its introductory article.“

“Seventy-one-year-old Roy Pirrung ran the Jackpot 100 Mile in 22:47 earlier this year. He plans to run it again this coming February. UltraSignup documents 143 of Roy’s races (and counting), but he started running ultramarathons before UltraSignup, so many of his earlier results aren’t online. After turning his back on smoking and other unhealthy habits in his early 30s, he won three USATF national ultrarunning titles and 77 masters titles. He holds over 50 masters age-group records, and he was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in 2016. UltraRunning magazine describes his long and successful career.“

“I first crossed paths with Roy years ago at the Bandera 100k in the Texas Hill Country. The event was the USATF 100k Trail National Championships, and he was the USATF representative on site. I did my very best not to vomit on him while he . . .“

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE: www.irunfar.com