BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION - You are Never too Old

Hello runner friends!

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!  

Now let's get started by talking about going after your running dreams no matter how old you might be. This is an important topic since so many people either get into running late in life, are continuing to run into their golden years, or think they’re too old to even start running. 

This was something I was thinking about after reading about 50-year-old-runner Jerry Snider, of Hewitt, TX, yesterday. Not many of us in our 50’s will be as fast as Jerry but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream about being faster or being able to run further—and then creating a game plan to see those dreams come true.

But without further ado, here’s some of the story titled “Hewitt, Texas runner, 50, fulfills childhood dream of ranking in top 20 worldwide” that reminds us that we are never too old to dream:

A 50-year-old runner who has achieved All-American status 23 times since 2017 says it’s a dream come true after he wore a USA uniform and cracked the top 20 in the world for the first time in his career.Jerry Snider, of Hewitt, won sixth place at the World Masters Athletics Indoor Track and Field Championship in Gainesville, Florida, earning him the ranking of 15th in the world.USATF Masters refers to the masters divisions within USA Track & Field and offers competition for athletes 25 and older. 

“I started running when I was in eighth grade in 1988 and had this dream of competing for the U.S., and it didn’t materialize after college,” Snider said.

“Then I discovered masters track and field when I was in my 40s, and in 2019, I competed in my first national masters meet. I wasn’t as successful as I wanted to be, but it struck that fire that I had when I was younger, and I wanted to compete for the U.S. again.”

Snider found pretty quick success.

He won the national title in the indoor track 3,000-meter distance in 2024 and 2025 and consistently ranks in the top five nationally in his age bracket in different race distances.

“In the past two years, I’ve been able to win the USATF—which is USA Track & Field—national title in the 3,000 meters. So, the goal is now to win a world title, to hopefully one day outlive everybody else and have my name as a world record holder simply because I’m faster than anyone in my age group,” Snider said. “I jokingly say that because I’m still pretty far away from the world records in my age group.”

Snider said cracking the top 20 in the world in his latest competition is a great start to accomplishing his goal of a world title.

Snider isn’t the only runner to achieve success later in life and to go after his dreams of breaking records though. Several other runners have broken age-group records later in life, demonstrating that it's never too late to pursue athletic goals. Notable examples include:

Emma Maria Mazzenga, who broke the 90+ world record in sprinting. Other impressive achievements include records set by Mike Fremont at 96 and Diane Friedman at 100. Ed Whitlock also broke numerous marathon records in his later years. 

Here's a more detailed look at some of these record-breakers:

Emma Maria Mazzenga (90 years old):
This Italian runner broke the world record in the 200m sprint for women aged 90 and over. 

Mike Fremont (96 years old):
Fremont broke the American record in the 95+ age category for the road mile at the Grand Blue Mile. He also holds multiple world records for marathon and half-marathon times in his 80s and 90s. 

Diane Friedman (100 years old):
Friedman broke three masters sports records, including the 100m dash and 200m dash for women 100-104 years old, at the Michigan Senior Olympics. 

Ed Whitlock (85 years old):
Whitlock, who began running again in his 40s after a career break, set numerous marathon records in his later years. 

Ida Keeling (106 years old):
Keeling was the first woman over 100 to participate in the women's 60-meter dash and set multiple records in her later years.

George Etzweiler (99 years old)

George began running at the age of 49 and has continued running for 50 years, following his dream to run a mile every day until the day God calls him home. 

So there you have it friends. It’s never too late (or too early) to dream about being the best runner you can be. Like I said though, you may not be the fastest but you can always strive to be faster. Likewise you may not be able to run the farthest but you can strive to run farther. Make it your goal to the best you can at whatever age you can and you might just be running into your 80’s, 90’s, and even 100’s like these spry runners I mentioned. That’s my dream anyway, because it means I will have outlived my competition and can break all the records and claim all the rewards. Happy Running!