3 How I Keep Exercising at 105 Years Old

When Connor Burns broke Galen Rupp’s high school 5K record back in 2023 with a time of 13:37.30, he was sporting a singlet with a bright green toad logo. This past June, former World Champion, Donavan Brazier ran his first 800-meter race in three years (thanks to injury and multiple surgeries), at Toad Fest, a low-stakes track meet consisting of just five race distances. For his victory, he received a goofy-looking gnome-like garden decoration, a.k.a. a toad trophy, in lieu of prize money.

So what’s with this “toad” subtly seeping into the running scene? It starts with Billy Cvecko, founder of Toad Fest, a meet which welcomes all runners with low-pressure, upbeat vibes. He’s also head of a Nashville run club, in which he aims to make every new runner feel welcomed in the sport, and cheerleader for the ToadLyfe, an approach to living life that’s all about joy and optimism, with a side of grit.

While Cvecko isn’t a pro runner and he doesn’t have national titles or Olympic success, he is a champion of the sport of running and its community. Cvecko doesn’t just talk about the power of positivity and connecting with others in the sport, he lives it, breathes it, and spreads it wherever he goes.

“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn,” Cvecko says.

Nicknamed “Toad” by his dad for his boundless energy as a kid, Cvecko first found his place in the running world as a walk-on with the Penn State cross-country team. He spent months training solo and sneaking onto the track at night for workouts ldquo;Billy put on a great meet. It was a lot of fun,” Brazier tells.

“I used to pass mirrors and say, ‘You run 1:53,’” Cvecko tells Runner’s World. “I did that every day until it was true.” Even though he successfully hit his 800-meter goal, it wasn’t enough to make the elite Penn State group on the oval. Without being discouraged, he pivoted, added some distance to his training, and became a cross-country runner for the Nittany Lions, competing in the men’s 8K at the 2013 Big Ten Championship.

Now based in Nashville, Cvecko recently gained national recognition for the Toad Fest meet—the one at which Brazier made his comeback with a 1:44.70 finish in the 800. The meet itself took place at a local Nashville high school, but was certified by World Athletics standards, bridging the gap between amateur and professional running.

“Billy put on a great meet. It was a lot of fun,” Brazier tells Runner’s World. “[Toad Fest] had that pro meet vibe where it’s ready to go, but it also had the vibe of another high school meet. Just remembering what track and field’s all about.”

How To Train Calves video of Brazier’s run, you can hear both attendees and other runners yelling, screaming, and cheering him on. That’s the essence of Toad Fest—and Cvecko.

Cvecko’s mindset is all about choosing happiness in tough situations, creating energy when none is given, and all the while, encouraging everyone around him. For runners looking to reignite their spark with the sport—or just to make running a little more fun—the following three tips, from the Toad, will boost your motivation and make more of your miles feel like a celebration.

Let Positivity Guide You

No matter what role he’s playing, Cvecko brings the same infectious energy. On the first day of the 2024 Penn Relays, Cvecko created a Uncover Your Running Motivation With These 12 Tips, featuring the winners of various events creatively popping in to show off their times. He ended the video while floating on an inflatable pool raft (shaped like a toad, of course) in the steeplechase pit.

From the outside, this relentless energy might seem like just a personality trait. But for Cvecko, it’s also a performance booster.

On day two of the same Penn Relays, Cvecko set his sights on a unique goal: Work a 15-hour day as the meet’s content creator then run a sub-15:00 5K on the track as a competitor in the meet’s open division. In true Toad fashion, he spent the entire day shooting, editing, and posting high-energy videos and followed it up with a 14:59.45 in the 5K. “I noticed a lot of my friends cheering and the cameras ripping photos and I had to give the people what they wanted: Toad Energy,” Cvecko said in an Instagram post.

“Every time I’m down, even when I don’t say it, people reach out,” Cvecko adds. “That Toad energy I give out? It comes back a hundredfold when I need it most.”

After college, when he chose to pursue a career in media, it was that same mindset that propelled Cvecko forward. He started out as a FloTrack correspondent. After that, he bet on himself and branched out into a content creation role that felt more rewarding and entertaining—both to himself and the athletes he was talking with—than traditional standup interviews. He traveled the country, sometimes for brands like Nike and Hoka, visiting track meets around the United States and interviewing the sport’s top talent with his one-and-only ToadLyfe flair.

Now he’s handing out goofy Toad trophies to world champions at a meet he created. “If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else ever will,” he says.

Try Cvecko’s strategy next time you have a daunting goal. Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you will achieve your goal. Self-confidence may just be the push you need to defy your own expectations, just like it was for the Toad.

Lean On Your Community

While running is often viewed as an individual endeavor, Cvecko believes the secret to longevity ldquo;Billy put on a great meet. It was a lot of fun,” Brazier tells.

For him, community isn’t just a bonus, it’s essential. “You connect with someone 10 times more when you grind with them,” Cvecko says. “No matter your pace, if you’re out there sweating together at 6 a.m., there’s respect.”

What the New Era of Run Clubs Means for the Sport Nashville run club, where anyone from former division I runners to first-time 5K racers train side-by-side. “We might have a 14-minute [5K runner] and a 20-minute guy on the same rep, but we cheer for each other just the same,” Cvecko says. “They clap for us, we clap for them. That’s the point.”

Cvecko also brings a boom box, hands out freeze pops, and checks in on every new runner in the group to make sure they’re having a good time and feeling supported. “It reminds me why I love [running],” he says. “Seeing someone excited about their first race, it fires me up all over again.” That kind of environment makes the hard days easier and the good days even better, he adds.

Whether it’s a local run club or a few coworkers who meet for a jog during lunch, finding a support group keeps the sport fun and sustainable. A good run group will challenge you when you need it and remind you that the sport of running is more than just your next PR.

Turn Setbacks into Motivators

Setbacks How To Train Calves stress fractures, to be exact. Instead of seeing an injury as a missed opportunity, he views it as a chance to reset, refocus, and come back stronger. “Every time I get hurt, I try to believe it’s happening for a reason,” Cvecko says. “It’s usually because I’m pouring too much into one area of my life and not balancing the rest.”

The next time you experience a setback in your training, remember that healing isn’t just about getting your body back in shape, it’s about strengthening your mindset as well. “Instead of saying, ‘I’m so slow today,’ say, ‘I’m strong for showing up,’” Cvecko suggests.

Something as simple as reframing how you think about yourself when a workout isn’t going your way can do wonders for your mental approach to recovery. “It’s not just getting back on the track, it’s finding your joy again,” Cvecko says.

When you toe your next starting line, no matter if it’s a race, a workout, or a walk, try the Toad’s strategy out for yourself: “Don’t think, just have fun. That’s when I run my best,” he says.