CLEVELAND: 99 Year-Old Runner Ida Keeling Sets Record At Gay Games

Via local television:

"My doctor told me two years straight I'm as healthy as a healthy 20-year-old. Hooray!" Keeling said prior to her race. Her coach and daughter, Shelley Kelling, reminded Ida to stay in her lane and focus on the finish line. When the starter fired his pistol, the crowd immediately began cheering for the senior citizen from New York City and the clapping and whistling didn't stop until she finished, with a time of 59.80 seconds. She came in last place, but that didn't matter to anyone, including Ida. "I feel I'm still a winner," she said. Shelley Kelling said no woman at her mother's age has ever recorded a faster time in an internationally certified 100-meter race. "She does not only inspire people that are young or that are out here. It's a message that you can do this at any age," Shelley added.

(Tipped by JMG reader Rob)