ORVILLE ROGERS

98, running, Dallas

At age 50, Rogers’ only activity was an occasional game of racquetball or handball. Then he picked up Kenneth Cooper’s Aerobics, a bestselling book about running, and hit the road the next day. “I ran a mile very slowly,” he says. Since then, he has logged 42,000 miles, including five marathons. “But I didn’t get into serious competitions until I was 90,” he says. “I looked up the records and thought I could [beat] them. I set world records for one mile and 800 meters in my age group, 90 to 94.”

Rogers, who runs three times a week followed by 45 minutes of strength training, will miss the outdoor nationals this year because he’s going on an African safari. But he’ll compete at the indoor nationals next March.

Tip: “Every scientific study shows that if you exercise, you live longer. That’s the icing on the cake. Your health is the incentive. The enjoyment comes after that.”