Joe Shuta began long-distance running in 1973 when he laced up a pair of Converse high tops and carried a stopwatch. A week later, he had difficulty walking and decided that not to run was a much wiser choice.
Three years and too many pounds later, Joe decided to jump into the running boom of the ’70s, along with 25 million other Americans. Running shoes and more training advice led him to numerous 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. While living in Mexico in 1982, he completed his first marathon in 3:05. Although now his pace should be timed with a calendar rather than a running chip, Joe continues to pound the trails and roads with nineteen marathons, six ultra-marathons (fifty-milers), numerous shorter races and thousands of extra miles on the soles of his shoes.
“Seventy-three-years-old, not as fast as I once was but less slow than most people my age. I like to think that age is chasing me.”
Ran the Snickers half marathon in Albany, Ga. on March 5th. Great race, great weather and great people in Georgia.
Thank you to the race organizers, volunteers, cheering spectators along the race route and the people of Albany, Ga. who welcomed me with their Southern hospitality.
Ms. Georgia United States 2015, Jacqueline Wilkins, shares her love of baseball that began at a young age and continues today.
