Blind 97-Year-Old Man Sets Record At Turkey Day 5K
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (CBS4) - A 97-year-old Colorado man has set a world record at the annual Turkey Day 5K in Highlands Ranch.
Bob McAdam finished the 3.1 mile run in 48 minutes and 33 seconds, on Thanksgiving morning.
This makes him the fastest runner in his age group, 95 and older, to complete a 5K race.
McAdam said he wasn't always a runner. This goal began one day when the fitness coordinator at his retirement home asked him to run on the treadmill.
"I said I can't do that, I'm legally blind and afraid of potholes and curbs," Bob McAdam told CBS4. "She said I'll be your eyes and I'll run with you. So she did."
Together they crossed the finish line on Thursday morning, welcomed with cheering fans.
While it wasn't an easy feat, McAdam never lost sight of his goal.
"I was really tired in the third mile but I thought I could finish," he said while laughing. "I knew there was a goal line out there somewhere, but it kept moving backwards."
McAdam's son said this isn't surprising, and that McAdam has always been involved in fitness.
"He's setting a new standard for what a 97-year-old man can do," his son said.
McAdam said to him, it's not about the world record or even the recognition. Instead, it's about getting exercise, and living each day to its fullest.
"If I inspired somebody that's great," he said. "That's not my purpose but it's great if somebody gets moving because of it."
McAdam raced in the Turkey Day 5K last year, too. He originally beat the world record then, but because the race was not officiated, his time was never made official.
Race officials said they will submit his time this year, to claim the official world record.
McAdam said he hopes to complete the race even faster next year.
Makenzie O'Keefe joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2017. Read her bio, follow her on Twitter at @makenziepokeefe or email her your story ideas.