INSPIRATION ALERT! He Started Running at Age 80 and Immediately Quit Because He’s Too Old, But at Least He Tried
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By his own account, Archibald Bunker was never an “exercise guy.”
“I’ve always been active, I guess,” said the 80-year-old retired loading dock foreman. “But I never really got into aerobics or anything.”
That changed late last year, Bunker said, on his 80th birthday.
“My daughter, Gloria, is an avid runner, and I’ve always thought she was crazy,” he said. “Then I starting thinking, You know, I’m not getting any younger; maybe this running thing is worth a shot after all.”
Before he knew it, Bunker was in a specialty running store with his daughter, being fitted for a pair of running shoes. Later that same day, he recalled, he headed out the door for his first ever run.
“It was so hard!” Bunker said. “I quit almost immediately, and walked back home.”
“Turns out I’m just too old for that.”
Bunker, who hasn’t run a step since that day, said he remains proud that he tried running—which, as he’s quick to point out, is “more than most 80-year-olds can say.”
“I don’t regret any of it,” he said. “Not one of my dozen or so steps.”
“If my story can inspire even one senior to get out there and try something new and then realize he’s in way over his head and quit, then it’s worth it.”
