At 76 years younger, Pennsylvania’s Gene Dykes has made 2024 a 12 months of milestones that the majority runners of any age would envy. Right here’s a more in-depth have a look at why this runner may simply be essentially the most prolific of the 12 months—from breaking data to embracing DNFs (Did Not End) with humour, Dykes continues to show that age shouldn’t be a barrier.
Races across the globe (and in his yard)
With 43 races accomplished in 2024, Dykes’s calendar reads like a globetrotter’s dream. He raced in three international locations and racked up 19 begins in Pennsylvania alone. From marathons and ultras to shorter races like 5Ks, he tackled each distance conceivable. Dykes says a spotlight was finishing three gorgeous path races in Australia. Dykes’s philosophy of “simply run”—no stretching, no weights and no cross-training—clearly works for him.
Nevertheless it wasn’t all wins. Six DNFs(didn’t end)together with one at mile 160 of a 200-mile race, remind us that even essentially the most decided, skilled runners face challenges. His perspective? Brush it off and maintain operating.
Breaking data and smashing targets
“This previous 12 months was all about operating as many races as I may,” says Dykes. He compares his 2024 operating season to 2018, when he ran 40 races and skilled laborious in between. “Each race and each coaching session made me sooner,” he explains. “How did it go this 12 months? I ran 43 races and each race and each coaching session simply made me an increasing number of drained. However I had lots of enjoyable!” Dykes captured 5 nationwide championship races and three Pan American championship races all year long, however he was most happy with setting the M75 course report on the Boston Marathon.
A household affair and adventure-driven philosophy
Operating isn’t only a solo journey for Dykes, and he says his marathon and extremely finishes along with his daughters stand out as one of many highlights of his 12 months. Journey additionally motivated a few of his races, and he undertook a six-day path operating journey in Newfoundland, overlaying 87 miles of rugged, breathtaking terrain.
What’s subsequent for this marathon machine?
With 184 marathons and ultras to his title since 2006, together with a 2:54:23 marathon PR at age 70, 2024 provides one other unbelievable chapter for Dykes. Subsequent 12 months’s schedule is already packed, from the Tokyo Marathon (the place he goals to finish his Marathon Majors clear sweep) to a 300-mile path race in Arizona. After Could, Dykes plans to take a well-deserved sabbatical, gearing up for a future within the M80 age group.