An 80-year-old doctor is set to run his 45th Marine Corps Marathon, after only missing two races in the event’s 47 year history. Dr. Glenn Geelhoed ran the very first Marine Corps Marathon in 1977 and has competed in all but two of the annual marathons since then, but that’s hardly even close to the top of his list of amazing accomplishments. Through his global medical nonprofit, Mission to Heal, Geelhoed has helped thousands of people in the most remote areas around the world to get access to much-needed medical care.
In his lifetime, Geelhoed has run more than 170 marathons and has competed on all seven continents. He says that his medical mission work is inspired by the runs. "The marathon is a good metaphor because it takes discipline, it takes effort, and it takes a commitment," he says. "That's what health care is." In addition to his medical mission work and running, Geelhoed is also a professor at George Washington University and a prolific writer, published in hundreds of medical journals and authoring or co-authoring dozens of books.
The father of two children and grandfather of five grandchildren doesn’t seem to be slowing down despite being close to turning 81-years-old. When asked how long he plans to continue running marathons, he says, "Until the next one. And the next one and the one after that."
Source: CBS News
Photo: Getty Images