A 70-year-old Belgian runner, Eddy Vierendeels from Oetingen, set a world half marathon record on Friday in Flanders – an extraordinary achievement given that he only began running after the age of 50.
Vierendeels last week was officially titled the world's fastest runner in the 'Night of Flanders' half marathon competition in his category – men aged between 70 and 74 – finishing the half marathon in Torhout in record time.
"Our 'fast Eddy' broke the world record for a half marathon. At 70, Eddy ran 21 km in 1h21'24'', or over 15 km per hour," his club, athletics club AC Pajottenland, wrote on Facebook.
The previous record was set by Canadian Ed Whitlock in 2001 and was unsurpassed for more than 20 years. Vierendeels, who trains six times per week, clocked in a whole minute earlier than Whitlock.
The 70-year-old runner already holds many Belgian records, but this is his first world record. During a 10-km run, a world record was also in the cards – at the halfway mark, he was 45 seconds ahead of the previous record – but he fell sick and had to give up. At the end of March, he already broke the record at the half marathon once in Sluis, but in the end, the results did not count.
On Friday, too, the elements worked against Vierendeels, as the temperature was still as high as 24°C, even after 20:00, and there was some wind.
Related News
- Are you on Strava? More runners ditch technology for 'naked' experience
- Runners and walkers rejoice! Brussels to optimise pedestrian routes
While the trained runner did not seem too concerned about these conditions, he was more worried about his legs, De Standaard reported. However, it did not stop him from breaking the record.
The victory is especially remarkable as, until he was 50, Vierendeels had barely run a kilometre. He joined the running club through his son, and within his first year, already crowned himself Belgian champion in the 10,000 metres race. In recent weeks, he has also set Belgian records in his age category for the 3,000 and 5,000 metres races.
