100-Year-Old World War II Veteran Runs In Penn Relays

100-Year-Old World War II Veteran Runs In Penn Relays

100-year-old Lester Wright has done a lot in his lifetime and he's not letting age slow him down. In fact, one of the first things he did to celebrate his centennial birthday was to compete in the Penn's Relay race!

The senior athlete and War World II veteran hasn't competed in a while due to health concerns, but at 100-years-old, he feels ready to get back into the game.

Wright, a New Jersey native, turned 100 on Friday, April 29, and competed in the race just one day later on April 30th.

According to Fox 29 Philedalphia, he competed against eight other senior athletes in the 100-meter dash. His division was for athletes 80 years of age and older, meaning that some of the competitors could be up to 20 years younger than him. Tough competition!

In an interview with Fox 29 Philadelphia, Wright said, "I hadn’t [run] in three years because I was ill. This is the first race since my recovery."

Considering his age and lack of training, Wright's time was quite impressive coming in at 26.34 seconds. He took seventh out of ninth place in the race and possibly beat the world-record for the 100-meter dash in the 100-104 division.

According to the Times of San Diego, the late Donald Pellmann held the record for the 100-104 men's division with a time of 26.99 seconds, but Wright’s run time could beat that once officially submitted.

Either way, it's an impressive feat. Way to go, Wright!

Check out the news segment below:
Malorie Thompson

Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.

Back to blog

Help Animals That Need Medical Care

100% of your donation will fund medical care for pets in need!

1 10
View all