He was told he could never run again – but at 70, he defied the odds and ran a marathon
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When it comes to setting and achieving goals, especially after retirement age, a lot of people are tempted to stay in their comfort zones and take life a little slower (understandable after years of hard work).
Ken Campbell, however, has never been content to follow this path.
At 70 years old, Campbell has just completed a 100km ultra-marathon, an impressive feat under any circumstances, let alone for someone who was told by doctors he would never be able to run again due to his arthritis.
And even though he competed in the triple jump in high school and kept fit with cycling, regular gym visits and climbing the stairs of his office during his 20-year spell as a copy editor at the Sacramento Bee newspaper, Campbell always felt like he could do more.
The catalyst for his extreme physical transformation came when his wife, Susan, suffered a foot injury and needed Campbell to accompany her to her group running sessions. He was 90kg at the time and says, 'we were just walking at the beginning'.
But as the months went on, he quickly realised he was making progress, and by the age of 63, he'd decided to try his first 50km run.
Having found love and joy in it, he then decided to push himself even further to tackle the 100km distance race.
Campbell, now 71, attributes much of his success to running on the trails at the Sierra Nevada foothills near their home in Citrus Heights, California, saying that the feeling of being embraced by the greenery and history of the place was what enticed him:
'I was walking where Native people had walked for thousands of years and where miners had walked on their way to gold.'
Unlike road running, he says, '[the] trails are a very individual experience, with every runner having their own pace, and the sense of oneness you get from it is unbeatable'.
TIP: Walking is one of the easiest and most effective forms of fitness that everyone of all ages can do. If you want to start walking to improve your health, check out this article!
On the night of the race, both his wife and daughter Grace – from his first marriage – took on their own marathons, with Grace becoming his 'lifeline' and pacemaker on the course.
Then, with 16 hours on the clock, Campbell reached the finish line with his family in tow.
He's now a proud owner of both a 50km and 100km sticker to adorn his truck and says the sense of community between him, the other runners, and their cars is particularly special.
He explains, 'wherever we park, I see a line of vehicles with their various stickers, and I feel that we are a tribe'.
So, what's next for Ken Campbell?
Well, right now, he's not shying away from the fact that injury could be lurking around the corner due to his arthritis, but he insists 'the feeling of well-being and accomplishment will carry me on forever. If I can't run, I will walk.'
Ken Campbell, however, has never been content to follow this path.
At 70 years old, Campbell has just completed a 100km ultra-marathon, an impressive feat under any circumstances, let alone for someone who was told by doctors he would never be able to run again due to his arthritis.
And even though he competed in the triple jump in high school and kept fit with cycling, regular gym visits and climbing the stairs of his office during his 20-year spell as a copy editor at the Sacramento Bee newspaper, Campbell always felt like he could do more.
At 70 years old, Campbell has just completed his first-ever 100km ultra-marathon. Credit: Pexels/Mitchel Paschedag.
The catalyst for his extreme physical transformation came when his wife, Susan, suffered a foot injury and needed Campbell to accompany her to her group running sessions. He was 90kg at the time and says, 'we were just walking at the beginning'.
But as the months went on, he quickly realised he was making progress, and by the age of 63, he'd decided to try his first 50km run.
Having found love and joy in it, he then decided to push himself even further to tackle the 100km distance race.
Campbell, now 71, attributes much of his success to running on the trails at the Sierra Nevada foothills near their home in Citrus Heights, California, saying that the feeling of being embraced by the greenery and history of the place was what enticed him:
'I was walking where Native people had walked for thousands of years and where miners had walked on their way to gold.'
Unlike road running, he says, '[the] trails are a very individual experience, with every runner having their own pace, and the sense of oneness you get from it is unbeatable'.
TIP: Walking is one of the easiest and most effective forms of fitness that everyone of all ages can do. If you want to start walking to improve your health, check out this article!
On the night of the race, both his wife and daughter Grace – from his first marriage – took on their own marathons, with Grace becoming his 'lifeline' and pacemaker on the course.
Then, with 16 hours on the clock, Campbell reached the finish line with his family in tow.
He's now a proud owner of both a 50km and 100km sticker to adorn his truck and says the sense of community between him, the other runners, and their cars is particularly special.
He explains, 'wherever we park, I see a line of vehicles with their various stickers, and I feel that we are a tribe'.
Well, right now, he's not shying away from the fact that injury could be lurking around the corner due to his arthritis, but he insists 'the feeling of well-being and accomplishment will carry me on forever. If I can't run, I will walk.'
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