HRH R
WORDS: CINDY KUZMA. PHOT
OGRAPHS: POON WATCHARA-AMPHAIWAN
JUNE 2018 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK 029TWO YEARS AGO IDA KEELING RAN THE 100-METRE DASH in 1 minute
and 17.33 seconds to set the world record for women aged 100-104 â then
she dropped to the track to do press-ups as the crowd roared. In her new
book Canât Nothing Bring Me Down Keeling now 102 talks about thrilling
moments such as this but also her struggles: growing up poor in Harlem
New York working in factories during the Great Depression to raise four
children as a single mother and losing two adult sons to unsolved cases of
drug-related violence. This last one sank Keeling into a depression at the age
of 67. So her daughter Shelley a track-and-field and cross-country coach
took Keeling to a local 5K. Miss Ida as sheâs known felt clumsy at first but
ultimately uplifted. âThe good part was that the sad part leftâ she says.
âRunning to me is like medicine.â Since then the 4ft 6in 37.6kg (6st) dynamo
has raced all over the world and set multiple world records. âEvery day is
another day forwardâ she says. In February she broke the 100-and-older
60-metre record finishing in 58.34. Here she tells Runnerâs World about her
life her training regime and the importance of Hennessy brandy.FOUNTAINS
OF YOUTH
MISS IDAâS KEYS TO
LIFELONG RUNNING:START EARLY
Keeling circles her legs in
bed â âIâm up they got to
wake up.â She also squats
as she cooks and cleans.REST
Take breaks before races.
âIf you get tired don't
push it. Put your legs
up on the couch.âGOOD NUTRITION
Her diet includes greens
fruits nuts orange juice
and cod liver oil and
molasses for joint health.HENNESSY
Three or four times per
week âI put a little bit
in my cofee or in some
waterâ to aid circulation.Well I didnât expect
so much but Iâm very
happy it turned out
this way. I was just
exercising and now
Iâm all over the world.I wrote about it but
itâs over. The past
is sometimes kind
sometimes horrible
and miserable.
Feeling miserable is
a bad thing; it slows
you down. I donât like
to slow down. I want
to be ready to move.Your balance is more
off than normal.
You have to think
everything through
before you take your
steps. So you pay
more attention to
things stay alert.That was terrible but
I said âWell I got to
get up from here.â
Iâve been doing well;
I just don't want to
overdo it. People
make mistakes they
say âI won't pay the
pain no mind.â That's
stupid. The pain â
you better pay it
some mind. Itâs telling
you something.I go to the gym take
a strengthening class
that has some dance
steps. Other days
Iâve got my bike and
my running and my
[1kg] weights. I squat
with them stretch
my arms out. I try to
do 10 minutes three
times a day â then
it's nap time. When
a race gets closer
I also go with my
daughter to the track
for a 40-minute
session of warm-up
drills and a single
60-metre run.Stay strong love
yourself and do what
you need to do not
what you want to do.Ida has some sound advice for younger runners: âStay
strong love yourself and do what you need to doâ