Meet the oldest runners in the 2023 Boston Marathon
"My children would like me to run less."
Nobody is ever too old to run in the Boston Marathon.
And this year, Hansi Rigney, an 81-year-old from Carmel, California, and Tyson Park, an 81-year-old from Malibu, California, are proving just that, as the oldest male and female runners in this year’s race, according to the Boston Athletic Association.
Hansi Rigney
Hansi Rigney/Facebook
Hansi Rigney’s father did not want her to be a runner.
An Olympic-level race walker for Italy, Gulio de Pedra wanted his daughter to take on the same sport he had spent years perfecting, firmly believing that race walking would mitigate long-term joint and hip pain. But she felt that the sport’s requirement to keep one foot on the ground at a time, which often led to disqualifications, was just a bit too restrictive.
Well, it was that, and she was just a bit too fast.
Now, decades after her first race walking competition in Berlin, Rigney is set to be the oldest female runner in the 127th Boston Marathon. She’ll be 81 years, 5 months, and 29 days old come race day.
“I’m still in pretty good shape, I enjoy the exercise,” Rigney told Boston.com. “I think it’s the best exercise that I can get. And I enjoy my training runs, which are along the ocean. I just think it’s a great release from stress, from everything that is going on wrong in this world. I enjoy having my private thoughts, and I really enjoy just being out there and not being responsible to anybody except myself. Yeah, it’s really fun.”
The 81-year-old, who lives in the coastal city of Carmel, California, said that Monday’s race in Boston will be her 115th marathon. She’s run five to six each year since she started running at the age of 60. With a personal record of 3 hours and 35 minutes, she hopes to complete this year’s race in under 5 hours.
Less than two weeks after crossing the finish line of Boston’s historic race, which she’s run 12 to 15 times, Rigney said she is headed back to California to run another marathon.
Born on the island of Sardinia in Calgiari, she moved to the United States when she was 12, eventually attending Dominican College, an all-girls Catholic school in California.
Like their mother, all four of her children were athletes. Her three sons were swimmers, while her daughter was a runner at Yale.
“My children would like me to run less,” Rigney said. “They think it’s too hard on my body. But as long as I can do it, I’m going to do as many as I can. I have pared down somewhat. I don’t run as many marathons now as I used to. They want me to run shorter distances. But I enjoy the challenge of the marathon, and I’ll keep doing that as long as I can.”
She said she has sometimes won medals because she was one of the only women competing in her age group and hopes that she can show all the 81-year-olds tuning-in that they can run too.
“I think it’s a wonderful exercise,” she said. “It’s not only good for your body, it’s good for your mind. And it keeps you very fit. It doesn’t matter how slow or how fast you are; you’re out in the atmosphere and in nature. It’s a wonderful pastime. It’s a terrific hobby. And it keeps you healthy for a very long time. I hope I can continue to run for much longer than 81 years. Eighty-five? Maybe. Ninety? Who knows? But I would like to keep going as much as possible.”
Tyson Park
Tyson Park/Courtesy
Ten years ago, Tyson Park ran his first Boston Marathon.
The then-71-year-old had spent about four years looking for ways to improve his health, including by going on hikes and changing his diet. Eventually, he decided to enter Boston’s 26.2-mile race. And with the unique opinion that the comfort shoes provided took away from the challenge of the marathon, Park decided to run barefoot.
He was a few hours into his run, nearing the Citgo sign, when he cut his foot. Ten to 15 minutes later, he said, the first of two bombs went off near the marathon finish line.
Had he not sliced his foot, which led to a decreased pace, Park believes he would have been within the vicinity of the explosions.
Now, 10 years and 10 consecutive Boston Marathons later, Park will be oldest male runner in the 127th race at 81 years, 9 months, and 8 days old come Monday.
He said that there is nothing that makes him feel happier and healthier than running in, and watching, the race.
“What’s the purpose of life? To be happy,” Park said. “When I go to Boston, I usually stay near the finish line by Boylston [Street], near the Starbucks. I watch all the happy runners finish. It’s so amazing. So many people worked so hard … most of them are never going to come back … but they are so happy.”
Park was born in North Korea, but fled the country in 1950 with his mother and sister. After a month-long, December trek through the snow-covered country, the future marathoner said they made it on the last ship to South Korea. A few years later, in 1968, he decided to move to the United States to get his degree.
After a two-year stint in Chicago to save up for college, Park moved to Wisconsin for a few years where he studied economics. After getting his degree, Park moved to Los Angeles, where he studied law and philosophy at Loyola Law School, later becoming a district attorney before working in a private practice.
Soon after turning 68, Park decided that it was time to start taking care of his body, something he felt he had been neglecting for most of his adult life.
“At age 68, for my poor health, I retired from my law practice [and] started [hiking] and restricting drinks and junk foods to improve my health, with daily [research] for diet and running,” Park said.
He started fasting — only eating one meal a day — and going on hikes.
“Eating one meal a day is amazing,” he said. “It sounds funny, but I’ve been doing it for several years. It solves all your health problems. It’s not easy, but once you do it, you just enjoy it. If I have a mission in my life, I really emphasize one meal a day. It is so enjoyable and good for you.”
While on a hike, he saw an elderly man racing through the trail. When he asked, the man gave Park advice on how to start running.
In 2012, the then-70-year-old ran his first marathon in Los Angeles — barefoot.
Since then, Park said he has run 38 marathons and hasn’t missed a Boston Marathon since 2013. In 15 of his 38 races, and in all Boston Marathons between 2013 and 2019, Park ran barefoot. And while he now calls the technique “stupid,” the 81-year-old said that he continues only eating one meal a day, is healthier than he ever has been, and is going to run as long as he can.
“Without it, I don’t have motivation,” he said. “To prepare for a marathon, you have to run … it’s all about progress. When you start, you hate it, but after your run, you always feel really good. It’s like what Nike said, ‘Just Do It.’ And after you do it, you feel so good.”
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