100-year-old marathon runner Mike Fremont set the fastest time for a marathon ever completed by a 91-year-old runner. He recently shared what he believes to be his secret to longevity in a podcast with Rich Roll.
“These, believe it or not, are the best years of my life.” You may not expect to hear that phrase from the mouth of a centenarian, but that’s exactly what marathon runner Mike Fremont recently told author and podcaster Rich Roll.
Fremont, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 69 and reportedly given three months to live, turned to a plant-based diet in a bid to help shrink the cancer. According to runner worldFremont believes he shrank the tumor with his new diet, before undergoing surgery in 1994 to remove what was left.
“The tumor shrank over the next two years, and I finally got rid of it with diet alone,” Fremont said, according to runner world.
SEE: Mike Fremont explains his secret to longevity
Talking to Rich Roll in a video Recently posted on Instagram, Fremont says, “I have no doubts: It is diet that has determined my existence, my continued existence, and my beautiful health.”
He added: “I don’t think I ever became competitive until I was 88 years old. For my age, I’m practically number 1.”
Fremont’s Elite Ultra Marathon Fellow harvey lewis He has also recently posted about the amazing 100-year-old man, sharing some interesting insights. He posted a photo of Fremont doing pull-ups with the caption: “5 miles with my 100 year old young friend Mike Fremont. Mike did 10 pull-ups in one go too!”
“Mike’s mentality is strong. He fell last spring in Florida and hurt his hip. He was confined to a wheelchair for a month. That was really hard, especially for Mike, who is always on the go. When he restarted, he was only able to do 1 pull-up. Mike credited his plant-based nutrition with his rapid recovery even when he was a 100-year-old by regaining his distance and pull-up reps.”
“We finished our exercises and I asked Mike if he was done that day. He said, I’ll probably do more push-ups later at home.”
harvey lewis
What is the Fremont diet like? As he once stated, according to runner world in 2013: “No meat, no dairy products, no toxins”. Fremont’s diet consists primarily of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and soups, plus a little vitamin D in the winter. In that same 2013 article, Fremont said that since she started eating this way she hasn’t had a cold and maintains the same weight as her college wrestling years.
Now that’s food for thought. Watch the full podcast with Fremont here.
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