At 79 years old, Benjamin Matthews might not appear to be a typical athlete. But for Matthews, who has run 108 marathons, including 18 Boston Marathons, running remains a daily part of life. “I ran my first marathon in 1977 in New York City,” he recounts. “I did okay but I had higher expectations for myself. I think I ran a 3:25.” By 1980, he was running 26.2 miles in 2:51. He’s since won his age group in multiple races (including three Gate River Runs) and came in first place overall in a Miami 50K race when he was 55 years old—“And that was in the heat of the summer!” he says.
Though he was always interested in fitness, Matthews didn’t take up running until after he left the military. While working for the University of Miami, he accidentally dropped a weight on his head while doing lateral pulls in the school athletic club. “It knocked me out. I didn’t realize I had damaged my brain until I collapsed three months later,” he says. A CAT scan revealed blood through his brain, which required immediate surgery. “I probably would have died sooner but the doctors said my fitness helped me quite a bit. I picked up running after that and continued.”
The Vietnam vet now credits running with helping him to stay active and still kicking. He’s battled through injury and even cancer thanks to his daily training and nutrition program, visiting the YMCA every day at 6 AM and eating a mostly vegan diet. “Thanks to my wife, I’m very careful with my diet. Way back when when I first started running, runners would say they could eat anything they wanted—hot dogs, beer.” After Matthews met his wife, Sunny, she encouraged him to incorporate healthier foods into his diet. “If you want to continue to run like I do at age 80, diet is crucial,” he says. “It helps to ensure you don’t put weight on and don’t get injured.”
Today, Matthews is a member of SilverSneakers, the nation’s leading community fitness program for older Americans, and cites consistency as the key to his physical success. “I would tell anyone that exercise and fitness are life endeavors. They will sustain you well into your senior years.”
