100-Year-Old Ida Keeling Sets Race Record At Penn Relays

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A woman just a couple weeks shy of her 101st birthday set a world record for the fastest 100-meter dash by a woman 100 years and older at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia this past weekend.

And Ida Keeling’s advice for staying active later in life? “Love yourself, do what you have to do and what you want to do,” she told NBC.

The crowd erupted for the 100-year-old after she finished the 100m race in one minute, 17.33 seconds.

“I’ll be 101 in a couple of weeks,” Keeling pointed out to NBC Sports’ Carolyn Manno after the race, a mixed-gender event for athletes 80 and older. “I’ve never seen nothing like this crowd. Maybe that’s what the excitement was.”

In addition to loving yourself, Keeling’s advice for an active lifestyle is to “eat for nutrition, not for taste.”

“And exercise at least once a day,” she added.

Standing at 4-foot-6 and weighing in at 83 pounds, Keeling credits her resilience to her experiences, some of which include living through the Great Depression, losing two sons, and battling a bout of depression and health ailments, according to a New York Times profile on the runner.

“It taught you to do what you had to do without anyone doing it for you,” she said.

[…]

Running gives Ms. Keeling a sense of serenity, she said. Her sinewy arms urge her body forward, each stride stronger than the last as she picks up momentum. Though she has developed arthritis and occasionally relies on a cane while walking, Ms. Keeling betrays none of her ailments as she runs.

You can find more on Keeling and her inspirational story, here.

SOURCE: New York Times, NBC | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter

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