Run, Frank! Run!

95-year-old sets world track record

Age really is just a state of mind for Frank Levine. At 95, he set the world track record this summer for the 5,000-meter event. In his age group, of course -- 95- to 99-year-olds.

"No one else was running, so I was by myself, but they were all yelling and applauding. I didn't really hear them; I wasn't listening to them. I was speaking to myself, 'Hey, go! Go, fella, go!' "

And go he did. Frank's record-setting time at the USA Track Masters Championships this month was 50 minutes and 10 seconds.

"It was a spectacular, inside feeling. I was really flying," said Frank.

Frank's love for running came late in life. He finished his first marathon when he was 65. Since then, he has logged 17 more.

"It is impressive, but if you do it, once you run two or three, you know you can do it," Frank says. "I run two miles every other day."

The walls of his Norristown home hold all that history, dotted with the medals, ribbons and accolades he's collected over the years.

There's no magic bullet or secret formula for Frank's success. Discipline gets him out the door and onto the track, and his attitude is what gets him across the finish line.

"The easiest person to fool in the world, to mislead, is yourself because you can talk yourself into anything."

Ask Frank if he plans to keep competing and you'll get the smile and laugh of a mind-over matter man.

"Sure, until I'm a 120."

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