An 80-year-old long-distance runner is speaking out about what it's like to run at his age. Despite being older than much of the competition, David Frisone hasn't let his age stop him.
"Most people I run with are a good 15, 20 years younger than me," the long-distance runner told the New York Post. "They always try to beat me, but I win most of them."
The long-distance runner has ran both marathons in Boston and New York as well as some shorter distance runs as well.
"People are telling me I should concentrate on shorter races now," he said. Frisone has been running since high school, but he took several decades off. "That's life. You start raising a family — I have three kids, and a wife, of course." However, in his 40s, he decided to start running again after being inspired by his kids.
Long-Distance Runner
"They were very impressed then — and still are today," Frisone said. "Not running for 20 years, that actually probably helped me save my legs, kept my legs fresh. It was an accidental secret weapon."
He competed in the NYC Marathon with his wife and then five years later, he competed in the Boston Marathon. "Boston was bad weather, cold, rain — but when you're addicted to running, you just go for it," he said.
Frisone loves to race. The long-distance runner is part of the Long Island Road Runners. The hobby has helped him make a bunch friends and also stay active in his twilight years.
"We don't just run. We always do something after. It's either a bagel, pizza, Mexican food, or something like it," he said. "It's a way of celebrating your run, it keeps the conversations going."
The long-distance runner even wants to go to Scotland.
"I compete hard. It makes me competitive, and it's a form of addiction," he said. "If I had to stop running, I would really miss it."
