Oldest Finisher at the Fifth Avenue Mile

How can you not be motivated by a 96 year-old running his 16th Fifth Avenue Mile?  Bill Benson, of Valley Stream, New York, completed the mile in 21:43.  As a collegiate miler he had a personal best of 4:29 but then gave up running for 36 years.  At 60, however, he put away his tobacco pipes, gave up beer, and has now run almost 20,000 miles and competed in 941 races.  He’s even held the mile world record in the 85-year-old division at 9:18.

We should all hope to be running sub-10 minute miles when we’re in our 80’s!