90-year-old Arizona man preps for first marathon
MESA, Ariz. (CNN, KYMA) - It's never too late to try something new, and a 90-year-old man from Arizona is living proof as he's preparing to run his first marathon.
At 90-years-old Bill Schwarz is still chasing new goals. This weekend, the longtime recreational runner takes on his very first full marathon.
"To me, life is happening...Am I going to participate, or am I going to watch other people participate?" Schwarz expressed.
It was a decision came after a trip abroad last year, a celebration of new love. Schwarz had just remarried and a sense of gratitude for his good health drove him to go further than ever before.
"I've done rim to rim to rim with my son at the Grand Canyon. I've run five half-marathons this season," Schwarz shared.
Since then, he's been at EOS Fitness in Mesa doing strength work. Pilates. Stretching. All preparing him and his body for that 26.2 miles in San Diego.
"I ask him a lot of whys and you know what I get from him, 'Why not?'" said Cintia, Schwarz's trainer.
Cintia says it's that attitude that continues to inspire anyone who watches him work.
"For him, I think he's proof that age doesn't matter and [it's a] mindset that really kicks in," Cintia explained.
"I have all sorts of people say, 'Well, I'd love to do that,' and I say, 'Why don't you join me?'" Schwarz added.
Perhaps that's what stands out most. At an age when many slow down, Schwarz keeps finding ways to move forward.
His wife Tammy says that mindset has always defined him.
"He doesn't stop dreaming, he doesn't stop living," Tammy remarked.
The marathon itself is certainly a challenge, but Schwarz says it's also a reminder that life doesn't stop handing out adventures unless you stop looking for them.
"The objective is to finish the race. Time is not important," Schwarz declared.
The 26.2 miles for a marathon comes from Greek mythology when the Greek herald Pheidippides ran that distance to deliver the news of the Athenian army's victory over the Spartans.
