Meet Stanislaw Kowalski: The 105-year-old sprinter

What do you plan on doing when you’re 105? Being dead and buried? Not Stanislaw Kowalski This BAMF was running the 100 meters, throwing discus, and launching a shot put 14 feet at the 2015 Polish Veterans Championships in Torun, Poland.

What? Seriously. Kowalski ran the 100 meters in 34.50 seconds, which might sound like a lot when compared to the current world record of 9.58 second…but remember, the guy was 105 years old. If you’re alive and able to get out of bed at 105, you should get a medal.

And here’s a nice bonus of being a 105-year-old athlete: every event he finishes earns him the world record. The World Masters Athletics created the M105 division just for Kowalski. He was the first and only member to compete in 2015, so he holds the record in everything.

As a 104-year-old, Kowalski ran the 100-meter in 32.79 second. That time broke the record of a 96-year-old man at the Centenarians Race at Wroclaw Stadium. Prior to that his best time was 34 seconds, so the dude hauled ass to cut two seconds off his time.

And even better yet, Kowalski’s training regimen consists of doing “everything I want” and “never going to the doctors.” So that’s all it takes! He also advises not to eat at night.

Interestingly, Kowalski didn’t even start running until he was 92. Prior to that, he had only walked or cycled for exercise. He took up the hobby in earnest, however, running more than six miles per day.

Kowalski also seems like a pretty low-key dude: a possible component of his longevity. His grandson, Mark Baszak, said, “My grandfather always says ‘so as not to stress. He is a very quiet man.”

The Pole joins a rarified list of distinguished centenarian athletes who got late starts. The world’s oldest marathoner, Fauja Singh ran a marathon in Canada at the age of 100. He didn’t start running until he was 89. Unlike Kowalski, however, he attributes his longevity to a vegetarian diet and an abundance of tea.

“I have said it before: that I will carry on running, as it is keeping me alive,” Singh told reporters. Doubtless Kowalski, now 107 feels the same way.

But don’t just marvel at Stan the man! Follow his example (except maybe the part about not going to the doctor): Find a variety of exercise you and enjoy and do it every day, and maybe you too will be above ground at 105.