A 78-year-old Guinness World Record holder has been racing around the country to promote health, hope and friendship.
“Get that word, ‘can’t’ out of your vocabulary. Get that word ‘try’ out of your vocabulary. Just get out there, and do it, baby! Just walk to the mailbox and back. That’s a start,” Stan Cottrell, the renowned marathoner told CBS Los Angeles.
The run celebrates the Atlanta resident’s 78th birthday. It’s part of The Amazing Friendship Run, which he launched in 2020. It raises funds for charities including Go Vets Foundation and Feed the Children.
Cottrell is running 30 miles per day. He began in Los Angeles on May 7, his birthday. He’ll run through 15 cities in 100 days. By Aug. 14, he’ll end in Washington, D.C.
“I guess some people find that amazing that a 78-year-old person can go out and do that,” he sold CBSLA. “I mean because you’re 78, goodness gracious! I’ve just begun to live!”
Others can join Cottrell on his run by registering online.
“If I can get up and move at 78, everyone in America can too,” he said.
Cottrell, who has earned 11 U.S. presidential and congressional recognitions, is sharing his progress on Facebook.
“For me, the hours, the weather, circumstances, just dissipate into thin air when I sing a spirit-filled song,” he wrote in part Thursday. “Fill your day and the run you make, with your own brand of joyful noises. Now, Lord willing, 73 more days, and my eyes will behold Washington D.C.”
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