As fit as when she was 25 77-year-old puts ideas about ageing to the test
Jeannie Rice is 77 years old, weighs just under 43 kilos and runs marathon times that many 30-year-olds can only dream of. Her fitness is so exceptional that researchers are investigating what her body reveals about healthy ageing.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- It's never too late to start: Jeannie Rice didn't start running until she was 35 - today the 77-year-old is a marathon world record holder.
- Her success is based less on peak performance than on decades of regular training.
- According to laboratory tests, Jeannie Rice's maximum oxygen uptake, a medical measure of endurance and cardiovascular fitness, corresponds to the level of a 25-year-old woman.
- In an ageing society like Switzerland, exercise can make a decisive contribution to social participation and quality of life.
When Jeannie Rice turns 77 on April 14, she celebrates not with a cake, but with another sporting milestone. Just a few days later, she ran the Boston Marathon. Slowly by her standards, in 4 hours and 27 minutes. But still fast enough to win her age category. It is her 134th marathon.
What makes Rice so special: Her stats resemble those of a 25-year-old. According to laboratory tests carried out after her world record run at the London Marathon 2024, her maximum oxygen uptake, a medical measure of endurance and cardiovascular fitness, is 47.9. This is a value that hardly anyone reaches at this age.
"She has outstanding fitness," says Bas Van Hooren to the Washington Post. Van Hooren, a sports scientist at Maastricht University, accompanies Rice scientifically. "She shows how continuous training - and perhaps also favorable genes - can at least partially compensate for age-related performance decline."
Performance in old age
Rice only started running when she was 35, after a visit to her family in Seoul, when she wanted to lose a few kilos. "I thought that if I jogged around the block once, five pounds would drop immediately," she says today. At first, she only ran about one and a half to three kilometers, without running shoes, without a plan.
Soon she was taking part in smaller competitions and winning - rather by accident. Her first marathon, without targeted training, brought her a time of 3:45. In the second, she ran 3:16 and qualified for Boston. Since then, she hasn't let go of what made her the world's best age-group runner "quite incidentally".
Scott Trappe, Professor of Human Bioenergetics at Ball State University, calls her a prime example of what is possible when people stay active throughout their lives. "Jeannie Rice helps us to better understand the limits of human performance in old age," he says. "Especially when exercise is practiced at a high level and over decades."
Mobility in everyday life
Switzerland has one of the oldest populations in Europe. According to the national survey "Sport Schweiz 2020", 75% of people aged 15 and over do sport at least once a week. The sports enthusiasts in the over 64 age group are particularly striking.
91% of this age group say that exercise helps them to stay mobile in everyday life, and 57% see it as a way to stay mentally fit.
The continuous increase in sporting activity has increased even further in the last six years. Today, a good half of those surveyed are very active sportsmen and sportswomen.
Enthusiasm for sport increases from the age of 45
The increase is mainly attributable to women and people in the second half of life. Today, women do almost as much sport as men.
From the age of 45, their enthusiasm for sport increases significantly, even if sporting behavior continues to change significantly over the course of a person's life. Women in particular are characterized by great dynamism.
The positive effects of exercise are manifold: it protects against non-communicable diseases, improves mental well-being and helps to maintain independence.
"It's never too late"
Despite this, many people of retirement age exercise significantly less - often due to insecurity, habit or lack of motivation. Yet an active lifestyle would be a lever for health, independence and social participation in old age.
Rice provides a prominent role model for this. "It's never too late to start exercising," says Van Hooren. Her case shows how crucial not only genetics are, but above all consistency.
Was Jeannie Rice uns über gesundes Altern lehrt
Regularity: Rice runs around 80 kilometers a week, and up to 120 in preparation for the marathon, plus three strength units with light weights per week.
Balanced workload: Despite the high volumes, she remains injury-free - a sign of a good interplay between training and recovery.
Balanced load: Despite high volumes, she remains injury-free - a sign of a good combination of training and recovery.
Healthy diet: No fast food, no meat, little sugar. Instead, lots of salad, vegetables, rice, fish, nuts - and the occasional piece of cheese.
Passion and role model: "I love running and want to be a role model - for younger and older people alike," she says. She particularly wants to motivate people over 50.
Social balance: Rice maintains an active social life - she likes to dance (just not before races). "I'm the last one to go home."
Gratitude: "Maybe I'm just lucky. And am blessed," she says. Her body is both a gift and a motivation.
Passion and role model function: "I love running and want to be a role model - for younger and older people alike," she says. She particularly wants to motivate people over 50.
Social balance: Rice maintains an active social life - she likes to dance (just not before races). "I'm the last one to go home."
Gratitude: "Maybe I'm just lucky. And am blessed," she says. Her body is both a gift and a motivation.
