NY Athlete Ida Keeling Celebrates 100th Birthday!!!

[JamesG]

Competitive Runner from the Bronx Turns 100
by NY1 News
Sunday - May 17, 2015


One of the city's oldest and most celebrated athletes is marking a milestone. Ida Keeling from the Bronx turned 100 this weekend.

What makes her even more remarkable is that she's a competitive runner. The 4 foot 6 inches, 83 pound athlete recently participated in a meet in Manhattan where she ran the 60 meters in 29.86 seconds.

That's a world record for anybody 95 or older.





Her daughter, who is a high school track coach convinced her mother to pick up running when she was 67 and still trains her to this day.

Keeling says a healthy active lifestyle is the key to longevity.

"Exercise is very good and is more like a medicine and a healer than a lot of medications because it keeps your body moving. It keeps you mentally strong as far as I feel," Keeling says.





"We basically train her based on how she feels. We try to get three training sessions in a week. She goes to the gym twice a week — once for yoga, once for aerobics. And then she and I train on the track as well as in the gym," says her daughter and trainer, Shelley Keeling.

Now that Ida Keeling is in a new age bracket, she plans to compete in the 100+ category, break more records and earn even more medals and trophies.

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/bronx/news/20...turns-100.html