Breaking Through the Age Barriers

I’ve always been fascinated by stories about people breaking through barriers and doing the seemingly impossible. People like Chuck Yeager the first person to break the sound barrier and Roger Bannister the first person to break the four minute mile back on May 6, 1954.

What I find interesting in the Bannister story is that for years, so many athletes had tried and failed to run a mile in less than four minutes. People started to believe that it was a physical impossibility something that was beyond human reach. It became a psychological barrier as much as a physical one.

For some reason after Bannister broke the record many other runners were able to break through the four minute barrier as well.

Why did this happen?

And the answer is that there was a change in mindset for what was possible. When Bannister broke the through the barrier others felt that if he could do it there was no reason why they couldn’t do it as well something they previously thought impossible.

Another Bannister story is in the making

Ironman is one of the world’s toughest endurance events and requires an athlete to swim 3.8k, bike 180k and run a full 42k marathon.

Hiromu Inada will attempt to become the first 90 year old to ever finish an Ironman which is unbelievable when you think about it. He is testing the limits of human performance and showing us what is possible.

Similar to Roger Bannister, Hiromu is attempting to show us that the number 90 is not a physical barrier, rather it is only a self imposed psychological barrier that can be overcome through hard work and having the right attitude and resolve.

Hiromu a retirement rebel if there ever was one began swimming, biking and running at age 69 and completed his first triathlon a year later. When his wife passed away his passion for Ironman gave him purpose and turned into an obsession. Training with others many much younger than himself made him feel youthful and gave him a joy for living.

Why what Inada is attempting is important

Becoming the first human being to finish an Ironman at age 90 will become a symbol of human achievement on the same level as Bannister’s record.

Inada is showing other Retirement Rebels what is possible. He is teaching us not to accept self imposed limitations and that is why what he is attempting so important.

How you perceive ageing determines how you age

If you believe like many people do that when you turn “65” you automatically turn old you need to wake up. The truth is that.

Biological age can vary considerably from chronological age so a person's age is a rather meaningless number except if you are applying for something like social security.

Studies have shown that people grow old not because of chronological age but because they lose purpose which leads to decay both mentally and physically.

What Inada is teaching us goes beyond athletics

There are many other such examples, not just in sport, where people are enjoying later-life success.

We have 90 year old film makers and movie stars, 90 year old CEO’s, 80 year old fashion models, 80 year old singers, 97 year old Nobel Prize winners, and a 90 year old astronaut, people making their best contributions, late in life doing things they love to do.

And other retires are starting to notice and catch on realizing that 90 is only a number. Just like the runners that followed Bannister they are breaking through the age barrier and accomplishing some amazing things late in life things we thought impossible only a short time ago.

Hiromu is a great role model and I will be cheering him on when he makes his attempt this October. He is one of the reasons behind why I’m attempting my own little Ironman in November of this year at age 68.

When I’m ninety I want to be just like him

Learn more about Hiromu Inada's Ironman journey;