The Human Race

"I pay no attention to my age," says LaGrande Nielson. "I'm going to keep running as long as I can." While he may not pay attention to his age, we certainly do. Nielson truned 92 last October, and he still works out every day.

A retired Army colonel, Nielson took up running in 1966 to lose weight. Since then, the Hemet, California, resident has competed all over the world in races ranging from the mile to the 10-K. Ten years ago, Nielson could run a 10-K in under an hour. Today he still finishes 5-K's in around 40 minutes.

A typical day for Nielson begins before sunrise. First he does 80 to 100 pushups. Then he runs 3 miles near his home, followed by a 5- to 10-mile bike ride. "That usually wakes me up," quips Nielson. Three days a week he works as a family service director, offering care to people grieving the loss of loved oned, Nielson aslo councels peers on coping with family members who have Alzheimer's. (He lost his wife to the disease in 1988.) Says Nielson: "You're never too old to start doing something for yourself and for others."

*Reprinted by permission of Runner's World magazine. Copy written 1999, Rodele Press, Inc. All right reserved.