Despite Saturday’s gray, rainy weather, the University of Pennsylvania’s 127th Penn Relays marked some amazing performances for people of all ages. 96-year-old Ed Cox, the oldest entrant in the meet, conquered the Master’s Men’s 100-meter (85+) in just over 24 seconds, earning 5th place.
“I'm Ed Cox. I'm 95. I'm the oldest,” said the runner, who competes with the Syracuse Chargers, in an interview with CBS News. The race was Cox’s 14th 100-meter dash, but he’s been running for a long time.
Health & Injuries Races & Places, and most people had to rely on their own two feet to get anywhere. “You walked where you were going unless you had money to ride a bus or street car or something,” said Cox in the interview.
Cox also reflected that the meters feel different as time goes on. “The stride gets shorter and shorter year after year,” he said. “It’s quite a task but I enjoy it.”
While Cox was the only nonagenarian to enter the dash, plenty of octogenarians lined up at the start, including race winner Bob Williamson of the Potomac Valley Track Club. Williamson took the race in just 17.5 seconds. Fred Edelstein, whose age wasn’t provided, finished second at 17.78. Larry Colbert, Joshua Buch, and Jim Dunleavy—all aged 86—followed close behind at 19.37, 20.71, and 21.37, respectively.
Last year’s Penn Relays also showcased incredible feats of running in the masters races. Most notably, 100-year-old Lester Wright ran the fastest-ever 100-meter dash for a centenarian The race was Coxs 14th 100-meter dash, but hes been running for a long time.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
