Tuesday, January 16th, 2007

This article appeared on the front page of the January 16th, 2007 issue of the Glendale News Press.

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Marathon man, 69, just keeps on truckin'

In completing 79 long-range events, this dedicated athlete has covered almost 2,070 miles.

By Jason Wells

Charles Sayles has run at least 20 marathons a year for the past three years. He runs more than 20 miles a week. He doesn't eat junk food. He's 69.

"Slow and steady gets you through it," Sayles said. "Each time I do it, I'm very thankful."

 

The Glendale resident finished his 79th marathon Sunday in Houston , Texas . It beats his original goal of finishing 70 marathons before he turns 70 by more than a few miles — 235.8, to be exact.

And as an added bonus, former President George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, were at the finish line greeting runners as they crossed.

"I told them that I had just completed my 79th marathon and had my picture taken," Sayles said. "They were very nice."

Sayles finished the 26.2-mile race in 5 hours, 49 minutes and 25 seconds, but he doesn't race the clock.

For him, the real race comes with making it from the end of one marathon to the starting line of the next.

"The only reason to finish the race is to prove you can be at the next start line," he said.

Not to mention the bragging rights that come handily to someone who will turn 70 on Feb. 2, two days before he runs his fifth Los Angeles Marathon.

"He's proving that the 70 of today is not the 70 of yesterday," said William Burke, co-founder and president of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The L.A. Marathon will be the fifth in his quest to complete seven marathons in seven weeks. Only two of them are in California .

But traveling is part of the pace for Sayles, who has completed marathons in all 50 states.

In fact, he said he plans to double that number, running two marathons in each of the states, before he hangs up his shoes.

He trains at the gym between marathons, running four to six miles every other day during the week and nine to 15 miles on weekends when marathons aren't scheduled. He forsakes cookies for power gels and splurges on high-tech running shoes.

"I have to watch myself all the time and say, 'I don't really need that cookie,'" Sayles said.

His sights are now set on his 100th marathon.

"If I can focus on that I can do it," he said.

Sayles said his racing strategy involved a healthy dose of walking. In Houston , he alternated four minutes of running with two minutes of walking. His story may seem incredible now, but Burke said the elite group Sayles is entering will only become more crowded in the future as 60 becomes the new 50.

"He's an anomaly, but by the time you call me next year, he won't be," Burke said.

In fact, runner Ernie Van Leeuwen, 94, is holding steady as he gets set to compete in his 10th marathon soon, said Laurence Cohen, spokesman for the L.A. Marathon.

For Sayles, the thought of competing into his 100th birthday is not only a possibility, but may soon find itself on his list of goals.

"Some people run like race cars, I run more like a UPS truck," he said. "UPS trucks last for decades, race cars last for a few years."

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Pictures with Article

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