“EVEN IF I come in last, I don’t care, I made it,” Gerard Lopez said after finishing the North Olympic Discovery Marathon on Sunday.
Lopez was the last runner to reach the finish line, arriving at City Pier 7 hours, 18 minutes and 5 seconds after he left 7 Cedars Casino.
It was the 189th marathon or ultra-marathon run by the 70-year-old who lives on Whidbey Island.
“They’re always exhilarating. I always feel like I’m alive again,” Lopez said.
“So many in my peer group are either dead or not in very good shape.
“It takes such a tremendous effort mentally and physically, but it’s just very life-affirming.
“You feel like — you just can’t believe you did it. I’ve done a lot of these, and it’s just hard to believe I did it.”
Lopez ran his first marathon in Bangkok, Thailand, when he was 52.
He started slow but then began to increase his yearly average. It went from six, to 10, to as many as 19 in one year.
Now, he tries to do one or two per month.
“I think as you get older, there’s a real temptation to say, ‘I’m old, I can’t do anything anymore’” Lopez said. “You shouldn’t do that.
“You really need to focus on the positives. You know, you don’t have that much time left, so you’ve got to be positive.
“And one of the things you should do is work on is your health. Any kind of exercise program is great. You don’t have to run marathons.”
Lopez said the important thing is to pick something to do and “get up and go.”
Originally born in New York City, Lopez has lived all around the world, working for the military and the state department.
He has retired three times, and currently does background checks for applicants seeking employment with the state department.
Lopez said his work keeps his mind sharp and exercise “keeps you young and keeps you able to believe you can do stuff.”
Lopez has run marathons in all five states, 32 countries and all seven continents — yes, even Antarctica.
He might just be getting started.
Lopez’s idol is Fauja Singh, who in 2011 became the first 100-year-old to complete a marathon.
Whether or not he can keep running that long, Lopez said he’s going to try.
“I have no regrets. And I think that’s the way you got to end your life: have no regrets,” he said
“If you want to do something you’ve always dreamed about, go ahead and do it. The only thing stopping you is your own inhibitions or your own parameters.
“Once you tell yourself you’re old, that’s it, you’re dead almost.”
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
