From The New York Times, At 73, Marathoner Runs as if He’s Stopped the Clock:
Ed Whitlock, a 73-year-old Canadian marathoner who may be the world’s best athlete for his age, rotates his running shoes like the tires of a car. “I have 10 pairs that I alternate,” he said. “That way they don’t wear out.”
Neither does Whitlock, who lives in Milton, Ontario, a Toronto suburb. He trains up to three hours a day, about 23 miles, close to the marathon distance of 26 miles 385 yards, and more than 100 miles a week.
Most Olympic marathoners do less. But Whitlock has been heralded like an Olympic champion since running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon last September in 2 hours 54 minutes 49 seconds.
He was 26th among 1,690 finishers and shattered his own world record for a runner 70 or older by more than four minutes. The previous year, in the same race, Whitlock ran 2:59:10, becoming the first person 70 or older to break three hours in a marathon.
“Ed is pushing the limits, like Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile,” said Bill Rodgers, 57, who won the Boston and the New York City marathons four times each. “I think he should slow down and have some respect for us youngsters.”