My thoughts during this morning’s run were on John Sutherland, the leader of the pack, whose running streak today reached 19,000 consecutive days (52.02 years). He’s two years younger than I am and would have started his daily routine in his Sophomore year of high school 1969. I graduated that year and running was the last thing on my mind. It wasn’t until I was 57 that I started mine with the goal of achieving 1000 consecutive days to celebrate my 60th birthday. Nine years later I’m still going, although age is creeping up on me. Robert “Raven” Kraft, who I briefly met in Miami,  will soon reach 17,000. I’m at a much less impressive 4,538.

All of us fellow streakers (fully clothed) are mourning the recent death of Ron Hill who presumably started this phenomenon. He passed a week ago at age 82, ending a 19,032 streak that started in 1964. Fred Murolo’s run of nearly 40 years also ended this past month due to Covid. I will never be able to catch either of them, unless I’m still running at ages 100 and 110. It’s hard enough to keep up the daily grind with 70 just around the corner. I’m stiff, I’m sore, and I’m tired but somehow I Streak On. There’s something inside that just won’t let me quit, even though the thought crosses my mind every single morning. Today, I was a little faster than normal, perhaps inspired by the perseverance of these running legends.

The men and women at the top of this list were struck with the training discipline at an early age. They were high school and college track stars who went on to run record times in races and continued to compete in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. I’m not one of this special breed, having only average athletic skills. My mile times are under 13-minutes on a good day, certainly not enough to win medals or ribbons even in my age group. I no longer collect t-shirts, accomplishment certificates, or medallions. Every day when I get to the finish line there isn’t much left but a sense of gratitude that it’s over and the relief of staying healthy. Marathons for me are no longer a possibility, but I will run again tomorrow. Streak On!