93-year-old runner from London, Ont., looks to break own Canadian record this weekend
Rebecca Zandbergen | CBC News | Posted: October 29, 2021 12:34 PM | Last Updated: October 29, 2021
Canio Polosa ran a 5K in 37:41 earlier this year setting a Canadian record for the 90+ age group
At 5'6" and 113 pounds, Canio Polosa, 93, is certainly not a big man, but he is tenacious.
"I do what I can," a modest Polosa said. "Now I can run, so I run."
Suiting up most days in spandex pants, running shoes and the knee braces his wife recently purchased for him on Amazon, Polosa is back on the running circuit after a decade-long hiatus.
Polosa, a retired doctor who practiced internal medicine and had a long teaching career at McGill University, started running at age 60. After 20 years, his knees were shot and he was forced to give it up at 80.
But now in his 90s, Polosa has somehow rebounded and is back on the running scene, clocking five to 10 kilometres a day.
Polosa's comeback tour has seen him run two five kilometre races this year. He finished first in a time of 37:41, which landed him a Canadian Masters Athletics record for the 90+ age group.
"I'm always the last in every race, but it seems that is not a serious problem," Polosa joked. "It is a nice thing to run knowing that you don't have to be the first."
"He really is physically, incredibly healthy," said Polosa's wife of 21 years, Lynne Weaver, 76. "There's no reason for him not to run."
"The only problem, as you can see, is he is very lean, very thin," said Weaver who does most of the cooking for the couple. "Trying to keep the calories to match the exercise is a huge challenge."
Polosa admits his doctors have a few things to say about his exercise, but with a smile Polosa says, "But since I'm deaf, I can be selective in what I hear."
Polosa is running the Halloween Haunting race in London on Sunday and hopes to beat his own Canadian record.
'"This weekend is a certified course, and it's more downhill, less uphill. And so fingers crossed," said Weaver.
Pololsa has his eye on 36 minutes. Or possibly even 34 which is the world record for his age group.
"Why not?" he asked.