Former Pittsburgh school teacher world-record holder in track at 71

hear that I run, they ask how many miles,” Allie said. “I tell them I’m not a long-distance runner, I’m a sprinter.”

One who has stayed remarkably healthy, too.

There have been no major injuries to derail training, Allie said, and a couple years ago he had a full-body test done through a program with UPMC.

“They were really impressed,” Allie said.

“I’ve been blessed with some God-given speed,” he added. “I’ve been able to make the most out of it.”

Allie rarely trains against a clock and doesn’t take any supplements.

“Not even aspirin,” he said proudly.

When he’s looking for a training partner, Allie will call another WMA athlete, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Allan Tissenbaum, and the two will run together at Mt. Lebanon High School.

Competing in masters track is something Allie loves because of the camaraderie and respect among peers. At meets, Allie is technically part of Houston Elite, a Texasbased club.

Many of Allie’s teammates like to give him a hard time over his running style; they call him “One Speed” because he doesn’t care much for conserving energy.

“They’ll tell me to ease up, you know you’re making it to the finals, save it,” Allie said. “But as you advance and you have a higher seed time, you get the best lane. You want your competition around you.

“It does have an advantage, but I need to learn how to adjust my speed when I don’t have to run as hard.”

In his spare time, Allie likes to race Corvettes — he was president of a Corvette club for more than 40 years — and owns a Harley Davidson.

“I guess I have the need for speed, so to speak,” Allie said.

Since retiring, Allie has been helping out with the Nadia Track Club, a youth track club that trains at Oliver High School.

Allie pointed out that former North Allegheny standout Ayden Owens — now at the University of Southern California — came through the program.

“He has Olympic potential,” said Allie.

This whole track journey has taken Charles and Jacqueline to Brazil, Australia and South Korea, among countless other places. (Jacqueline was supposed to go to Spain but stayed back when their grandchild was born.)

Currently, Allie has no plans to slow down. But he knows that he only wants to keep doing this as long as he can immerse himself in the competition.

“I keep my body in good shape,” Allie said. “I still want to be competitive. We have guys in their 90s and 100s. I want to actually be running. Eighty sounds like a good number, but I don’t see myself competing beyond 75.

“I have nothing else to prove. I can go out with the next group and set world records, but I want to be competitive.”