89-Year-Old Marks 46th Race During Ogden Wellness Weekend
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Robert Cole ran in the first road race in downtown Wheeling in 1977 at age 46, back when it was called the Elby's Distance Race and has since run a race every year, from the Big Boy Classic to what is now the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine.
Cole ran in the first 20K race while he was a pastor at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church. After participating in every 20K race, Cole kept going when the course switched to a half-marathon distance. After that, he transitioned into participating in the 5K every year. He ran this year's 5K presented by WVU Medicine Children's at age 89.
"Now I do the 'Bob Cole shuffle' a little bit on the course and talk to other runners a little bit, since my hard running days are behind me," said Cole, who noted in his heyday as a distance runner he ran 35 marathons in Boston.
Though Cole has limited the length of the races he runs, the number of races he runs yearly has not decreased. Last year, Cole ran 23 races, and he hopes to run 24 this year. Saturday's 5K presented by WVU Medicine Children's marked the fifth race he had run in 2024.
"I can't remember how many races I've run since that first (20K)," added Cole.
Cole will turn 90 in September, and he admitted that the secret to his longevity in athletics was simply that "the good Lord is good." Next weekend, Cole will continue his racing streak with a 5K in Phillipi, West Virginia.
"I'm going to keep running until the good Lord takes me home," said Cole.