An 89-year-old marathoner from Russia has run more than 150,000 kilometers since 1971

Mikhail Benzionovich Gershman is 89 years old. He has been a runner for most of his life. During his sports career, our hero has traveled over 150,000 kilometers. He dreams of celebrating his upcoming 90th birthday with a race. At the All-Russian half-marathon “ZaBeg.RF”, which will be held across the country on May 19, Mikhail Benzionovich plans to cover a distance of 5 km.

– When did you start running, why did you choose this sport?

– I have loved running since I was a child. I was very good at it. As a student I was a member of the athletics section and trained in middle and short distance running, but after graduating from the institute I took a big break. During this time I gained quite a decent amount of extra weight. I realized that I needed to run for health, and the reflection in the mirror did not suit me.

And so, on May 23, 1971, I decided to resume my jogging. The break lasted for 14 years. I know the exact date, because that’s when I started keeping my sports diary. At first I ran a little – 3 kilometers 4-5 times a week. Gradually I got involved and began to progress.

Physical activity is necessary for a person to live. And it is never too late to do sports.

– Why did you take such a long break?

– Work, other hobbies, young age… I wanted to grasp a lot from life. I practically stopped playing sports back then.

– Was it hard to recover?

– I used to run in the dacha. I had a lap of 3 km, and somewhere in half of the distance I always had a desire to turn back to the house. But I managed to force myself. I always overcame the planned distance, no matter how difficult it was.

I still had some kind of running base. Gradually I got into it. On weekends I started running five, six and even 10 kilometers. I started participating in competitions and eventually came to marathons and super marathons.

– Do those races differ from today’s races?

– Of course! Like night and day! At that time they were sports competitions between collectives, trade unions, districts. Massiveness was low. Now there are a lot of sports organizers, communities that hold such events.

– How many races do you have on your account?

– I have 65 marathons. I don’t even count half marathons. At one time we didn’t have half-marathons, we had “20s”. They became half-marathons when we entered the international level.

I have more than 20 super marathons. They are different. Long (I ran a super marathon at 58 km and 100 km) and multi-day, when during the week you overcome 25 km, 40 km a day.

I ran mostly in my native Leningrad. Now it’s St. Petersburg. But there were also races in other cities: Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Rostov-on-Don, Moscow. And other countries: the Baltics, Belarus. In Finland I participated in two half marathons and a marathon. I ran in Hamburg.

– And what are multi-day super marathons?

– I ran the Leningrad-Vyborg super marathon. It’s about 200 kilometers. It was designed for 3.5 days. It started on Thursday with a short run of 6-7 km. And on Friday, Saturday and Sunday there were long runs.

On Friday we ran to Sestroretsk 40 km, then to Zelenogorsk about 30 km – about 70 km a day in two stages. The next day was also a run in two stages: the first – about 28 km, and the second – 30 km, but for the result.

The previous stages were group stages – everyone ran at the same speed, but quite decent. Somewhere in the order of five minutes per kilometer. And on the second stage, depending on the result, you took one or another place in this super marathon. And the next day we ran the group stage, and then there was also a speed stage – 25 kilometers. We ran for results. I managed to win twice in these runs (in my age group). It’s a relatively easy run.

When I was at the peak of my form, I was running 5-6 thousand kilometers a year. You have to work hard to get any results.

The most difficult of the multi-day runs for me was the “Zvezdny” run dedicated to Cosmonautics Day. I ran it twice: in 1985 and 1986. I just turned 50 years old then (in 1985).

It was a week-long run. Every day in the morning – three hours for the result. And in the afternoon we ran as a group somewhere around 20-25 kilometers. On the third day there was a result run. For men – nine hours. I managed to run 100.5 kilometers. I took first place in my age category.

– Do you have any secret of long-distance running?

– There are no special secrets. I can say that nutrition is very important. Especially when running marathons and super marathons.

On the day of the race you should eat oatmeal four hours in advance. Drink tea and cookies. And during the run, you need to fuel yourself with carbohydrate drinks. Back in my day, we didn’t have gels or isotonics. We made ourselves nutrient solutions saturated with carbohydrates: from sea buckthorn, cranberry, orange, honey.

I drank about 100 ml of this drink two hours before the run. Then – in the last 15 minutes before the start to run not at the expense of internal glycogen, but at the expense of this drink. And from the 20th kilometer during the marathon distance I also started to fuel myself. I also used glucose tablets with ascorbic acid. I put them under my tongue when I approached the food station. I’d drink tea and suck it up. It was enough for three or four kilometers.

– How do you train now?

– I don’t run now. I walk. Unfortunately, when I was 70 years old, I broke my femoral neck. And then I started having heart problems. I had a pacemaker put in. But I still resumed running, even though the first prosthetic surgery was a failure.

I was in pain and used anti-inflammatory drugs. In doing so, I severely compromised my cardiovascular system. But despite the pain, I continued to run.

In 2015, I had my prosthesis replaced. It was a very risky surgery, but I survived it. I think it was largely because my body was used to the stresses and strains of running marathons.

I’ve run over 150,000 kilometers since 1971. So, metaphorically speaking, this is the fourth time I’ve run the equator.

The surgery was a success. Now I have no pain sensations, but I have already developed a stereotype, and I limp a lot.

After 2015, I realized that I was walking at the same speed as running. So I switched to pacing. And now in all competitions I am, alas, already frankly walking. But everyone supports me and believes that my participation even in such a format is important and useful for the development of the running movement.

I have accumulated a lot of experience of participation in competitions and at the request of some guys I began to help them in planning training. During the year I have two or three people whom I advise and even write them a plan of running training in preparation for the marathon. And that is very stimulating for me.

– Are there many athletes of such a solid age among runners?

– A lot is a relative concept. We have about 10 people of my age in St. Petersburg. But there are a lot of 50- and 60-year-old runners. I hope that they will remain committed to this sport for many years to come.

– What are the peculiarities of age running? What do you need to pay attention to?

– You have to pay attention to everything: nutrition, regulation of loads. As you get older, you lose speed. It is inevitable. At first, when you start training, you gain results, build up a base. Your performance grows.

Since 1971, I’ve run over 150,000 kilometers. So, metaphorically speaking, I am now running along the equator for the fourth time.

I’ve kept a sports diary all my life. I summarize every month and year. When I was in peak form (1980-1990), I ran 5-6 thousand kilometers a year. In order to achieve some results, you have to work hard.

Then the tendency of decreasing results due to age starts. For some it happens more sharply, for some – less. I’ve even charted the change in my speed over the years. I’ve had sharp declines in my results due to health issues. And now every year my pace of overcoming the distance decreases. But you have to be philosophical about it. What is, is.

No matter what, a person needs to exercise. Running suits one person, swimming suits another, Nordic walking suits another. Physical activity is necessary for life. And it is never too late to do sports. Next year I will be 90 years old, and I hope that I will be able to celebrate my anniversary by participating in the race.

– From the height of your life and running experience, what would you wish to your 20-year-old self?

– This is a very unexpected question. Of course, in my life there were mistakes, falls – literally and figuratively. But from the height of my running and life experience, I will probably say now that I will not wish anything to my 20-year-old self. What is, is! This is my life, and I have lived it in accordance with my principles and in harmony with my conscience.