Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Never Too Old To Run
FARMINGTON — Koei Nakanishi of Farmington recently participated in the 20th U.S. Air Force Marathon at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Nakanishi is 81 years old and finished in third place in the race for his age division, 80 and up, with a time of 6 hours and 31 minutes. Out of 2,042 runners, Nakanishi came in 1,822.
Last year, he won first place for the 80 and up age division but also has to admit he was the only one in that category.
Nakanishi took up running when he was 52 years old and after he ran his first race, a 10K, was hooked on the sport.
He said he especially was motivated to run in the Air Force Marathon this year after watching the Summer Olympics.
“Watching the Olympics, I wanted to win a gold medal,” Nakanishi said.
For an 81- year- old, or for any age, Nakanishi has a competitive schedule. He runs six mornings a week, resting on Saturday. During the week, he runs 2-3 miles each day. On Sunday, he usually runs 10 miles.
“Running helps me stay in shape and helps my brain,” Nakanishi said, adding it also is a stress reliever.
The Air Force Marathon was Sept. 17 and Nakanishi followed that race by competing in the Chili Pepper 10K run in Fayetteville on Oct. 1
“I was already in shape from the marathon so I decided to run the Chili Pepper,” he said.
Nakanishi was born in Hawaii and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in April 1955. He was in the Air Force for 22 years and over the course of his military career, served at bases in California, Illinois, Arizona, South Dakota, Washington, Kansas and Little Rock. He also served at Okinawa, Japan, and for a one-year tour in the Vietnam War.
After retiring from the Air Force, Nakanishi worked for Skippy Peanut in Little Rock and then he and his wife moved to Farmington to be near their granddaughter. He also has worked in landscaping for the University of Arkansas.
“Running helps me stay in shape and helps my brain.” Koei Nakanishi, 81 Farmington resident