I just dug this up in the newsreel for this week.
A 99-year-old sprinter inspired spectators this past Tuesday when she ran the 100-meter dash in Akron, Ohio!
Ida Keeling finished last in her 100-meter race at the Games in Akron, Ohio, Tuesday, but she still ran away with the show.
That’s because Keeling is 99 years old and really fast for her age.
Keeling, a great-great grandmother from New York City, finished the race against competitors of many ages in 59.80 seconds. Her daughter, Shelley, also Ida’s coach and a competitor at the Games, said that no woman at 99 “has ever recorded a faster time in an internationally certified 100-meter race,” NewsNet5 writes.
Her bright yellow Nike running shoes grabbed the attention of spectators, but it was her age that had people truly buzzing.
Keeling, stands four feet, six inches tall and weighs 83 pounds.
“My doctor told me two years straight I’m as healthy as a healthy 20-year-old. Hooray!” Keeling said prior to her race.
Her coach and daughter, Shelley Kelling, reminded Ida to stay in her lane and focus on the finish line.
Keeling actually walks with a cane, the Plain Dealer reported. “Walking with a cane takes minutes,” she told the newspaper before the race. “Running with the champions takes seconds.”
According to outlets, Keeling began running after she lost her two sons to drug-related killings more than 30 years ago.
Keeling turns 100 in May and hopes to break more records. Her secret to staying young and swift?
“Do what you need to do, not what you want to do and don’t leave out your daily exercise,” she says in the segment above. “Love yourself.”
And here I thought I had it going on for my own running exploits and weekly running miles…
This woman is inspirational!
Hey Ida, visit us at Regency Nursing Centers and let’s run together!!! You will be one of many centenarians here!
See Ida’s video below.
