Best Runner of All Time

So who's the best runner of all time? Hard question to answer, eh? Not for me. My "best" runner is still going strong to this day. He currently holds 13 world records. Have any guesses? He's Canadian and runs distances from 1500 meters to the marathon...winning at all distances!

He's my running idol...even though he doesn't want to inspire anyone.  He doesn't even enjoy running...but he trains everyday.  Nice and easy.  No sprints, no tempo runs, no VO2 max runs. No track work.  No hills. Just easy long runs. Yet he races very well!  And he enjoys racing. Who is this runner?  Last weekend he ran a 3:15 marathon at the age of 80.

Here are a few of his track records...

Distance	Age Group	Time
1500m	Men 80-84	5:48.93	pending
Mile:	Men 75-79	5:41.80
3000m	Men 75-79	11:10.43
3000m	Men 80-84	12:13.56	pending
5000m	Men 70-74	18:33.38	Better mark by Ron Robertson pending
5000m	Men 75-79	19:07.02
5000m	Men 80-84	20:58.12	pending
10000m	Men 70-74	38:04.13
10000m	Men 75-79	39:25.16
10000m	Men 80-84	42:39.95	pending

Check out these age group records on the roads...

Distance	Age Group	Time
10K	Men 70-74	37:33
10K	Men 75-79	40:10
15K	Men 65-69	55:04
15K	Men 70-74	58:19
15K	Men 75-79	1:00:19
Half Marathon	Men 70-74	1:22:23
Half Marathon	Men 75-79	1:29:26
Marathon	Men 70-74	2:54:48
Marathon	Men 75-79	3:04:54
Marathon	Men 80-84	3:15:54

My "best" runner of all time is Ed Whitlock. He's my running hero. My idol.

Ed Whitlock's Still Going at 80 (June 28, 2011 National Post news story)

Ed Whitlock and the Age of Simplicity (Running Times article from March 2010)

Daily 3-hour slow runs around a cemetery? Classic.

Ed Whitlock's training, and excellent race performances, reinforce the notion that tons of long, aerobic training will prepare you for fast racing.  I'm with you Ed! You inspire me. My goal over the next 12-18 months is to beat your race times that you ran after you turned 75. OK, you are over 30 years my senior...but let's keep that between you and me. I intend to beat your 75-79 age group PRs...and it ain't going to be easy!

Here are my new goals (based on Ed's age group records for a 75-79 year old):

5K = 19:07
10K = 39:25
Half Marathon = 1:29:26
Marathon = 3:04:54

How the hell did he run these fast times when he was in his late 70s? Can I run these in my mid-40s? Looks like I need to kick my training into high gear...not necessarily fast training, just lots of running.