Wonder runner: 80-year-old prepares for 10th Le Grizz ultramarathon
from dehardloopkrant.com
Evaro- Bob Hayes is about to become a Montana legend. This Saturday,
Hayes will lace up his running shoes as he does nearly every day and
take to the trail to run his 10th Le Grizz ultramarathon – a 50-mile
journey through the timber along the Hungry Horse Reservoir.When he
crosses the finish line, Hayes will rank among the rugged few who have
completed the race. Hell be inaugurated into the Bears Den,” which
honors the commitment, perseverance, injury management and mental
tenacity of runners who have finished the race 10 times.
Beginner
And hell be the first to reach the milestones at the age of 80.This
years goal is to match or improve last years race time of 10 hours, 13
minutes, Hayes said.“Every year you get slower,” he said. “I hope to
run it in 10 hours, but you never know, it could be 11.”Lean and
wind-whipped like a greyhound, Hayes runs with the rolling steady gate
of a man half his age.
The joke is, he said, hes but a newcomer to the sport.“I started
running when I was 60 and I was so slow I couldnt injure myself,” he
said, “so I just kept going.”A life of timber cruising and ranching
kept him healthy, he said, but running has made him fit and the
training for ultramarathons has made him think more purposefully about
nutrition and calorie intake.
Now, at the age of 80, on the brink of making running history in the
states oldest ultramarathon, Hayes said hes in the best shape of his
life.
Technorati Tags: ultramarathon, Le Griz
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