Latest news with #JeannieRice
Toronto Sun
25-04-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
At 77, she's as fit as a 25-year-old. What her body tells us about aging
Researchers are studying Jeannie Rice to understand how humans can stay fit as they age Published Apr 25, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 5 minute read Jeannie Rice, who turned 77 on April 14, has broken many world women's age group records. CREDIT: Loughborough University Photo by Loughborough University / Loughborough University Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Most runners see substantial performance losses after they turn 70. Not Jeannie Rice, who just turned 77 and ran the Boston Marathon on Monday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account She has broken world women's records in the 75-79 age group for every distance and, at times, beaten the fastest men in that age group. At the Boston Marathon, according to unofficial results, her time was 4 hours, 27 minutes and 17 seconds. It was very slow for Rice, but she still placed first in her age group. Rice is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 95 pounds. Her physiology is so striking that her maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) – a measure that reflects her aerobic fitness and endurance capacity – equals that of a 25-year-old woman, according to lab tests in the days after her World Record performance (3 hours, 33 minutes and 27 seconds) in last year's London Marathon. The tests were part of a case study of Rice published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Researchers are studying Rice to understand how humans can stay fit as they age, regardless of natural ability and the reduced physical activity often seen in older people, said Bas Van Hooren, assistant professor in nutrition and movement sciences at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and one of the study authors. 'She exemplifies how consistent training, and perhaps favorable genetics, can partly defy conventional aging processes,' he said. Rice, a retired real estate agent, proves 'it's never too late to start exercising,' Van Hooren said. Learning more about Rice will also help scientists 'better understand the potential limits of human performance as we age,' especially 'when exercise is performed at a high level over the adult lifespan,' said Scott Trappe, director of the human performance laboratory and a professor of human bioenergetics at Ball State University, who was not involved in the study. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rice's maximal oxygen uptake (or VO2 max), a measure that reflects her aerobic fitness and endurance capacity, equals that of a 25-year-old woman, according to lab tests. \CREDIT: Loughborough University Photo by Loughborough University / Loughborough University From running a mile to marathons Rice started running at age 35. Her goal was to drop the weight she'd gained during a trip to her native Seoul to visit family. 'I figured if I jogged around the block, I'd lose five pounds right away,' she said. 'I was only running one or two miles at a time. I didn't even have running shoes.' Rice, who divides her time between Cleveland and Naples, Florida, decided to enter a few area races for fun and won them. A year later, she ran her first marathon in Cleveland without any serious training – she finished in 3 hours 45 minutes – and thought she probably could improve her time. Six months later, in Columbus, her second marathon, she did – by a whopping 29 minutes – running 3:16 and qualifying for the Boston race. She was hooked. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She recently ran her 133rd marathon in Tokyo. (Although she ran slightly faster in the 2023 Boston race, 3:33:15, than in the 2024 London race, Boston's point-to-point course makes it ineligible for record purposes.) Rice doesn't know whether she set any records in her 40s, 50s and 60s, although she regularly was winning races in her age group. 'I never thought to check,' she said. At age 69, she set an American record in the 65-69 division in the Columbus marathon. 'That's when I thought maybe I was a decent runner,' Rice said. Her inspiration was Joan Benoit Samuelson, who set countless records during her long running career and won gold at the inaugural Olympic women's marathon in 1984. 'She was my idol,' Rice said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Samuelson, 67, said that these days she's the one who is inspired – by Rice. 'Jeannie is incredible,' Samuelson said. 'Her times are even more impressive to runners who have been aging up in the sport. Her passion for running as she ages only seems to become more evident with her times and her desire to keep breaking age group records.' Remarkably, Rice has almost never suffered an overuse injury – such as tendinitis or a stress fracture – although she has had accidents. Shortly before one marathon, she stepped awkwardly on a stone and twisted her ankle, 'and it cost me seven weeks' of training, she said. A few weeks ago, she noticed a nagging pain in her upper left hamstring that continues to bother her. She still plans to run the Boston Marathon but isn't aiming for a record. 'I'm going to take it easy and run slowly,' she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Researchers are studying Rice to understand the aging process. CREDIT: Loughborough University Photo by Loughborough University / Loughborough University 'Outstanding' fitness Among numerous tests, Van Hooren and Michele Zanini, then a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University (now a lecturer in exercise science at the Open University in England) had Rice run on a treadmill with increasing intensity while measuring her oxygen consumption and heart rate. They also drew blood to assess levels of lactate, a chemical produced when cells break down carbohydrates. Lactate levels can be used to assess the transition from a 'sustainable' effort to a 'more strenuous' one, Van Hooren said. Researchers also analyzed body fat, muscle structure and capacity to use oxygen at her specific marathon running speed. They found that Rice's 'exceptional' VO2 max suggested 'outstanding' cardiovascular fitness, pointing out – for comparison purposes – that the VO2 max of most untrained women between ages 70 and 79 typically is 45 percent to 65 percent lower than that of Rice. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Her unique physiology allows her to be extremely competitive in any distance running event from the track to the road, a rare feat at the world-class level,' Zanini said. – – – Lessons on staying fit as we age Rice may be genetically predisposed to have a high VO2 max and cardiovascular efficiency, Van Hooren said. But other contributing factors could provide lessons on healthy aging, researchers said. Consistent exercise: Rice runs 50 miles a week, or 70-75 miles a week when she's getting ready for a marathon, with one day off. She also lifts light weights three times a week for upper body strength. Balanced training and recovery: Her lack of overuse injuries suggests this balance, which has allowed her to maintain high mileage consistently over years, Van Hooren said. This may be key to high performance, particularly in older athletes, he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Healthy diet: She shuns fried foods and sweets and eats lots of salads, fresh vegetables, rice, fish and nuts, she said. Occasionally, she indulges in cheese, which she loves. Passion and purpose: 'When I asked Jeannie how she had managed to train consistently over 30 years, she simply replied: 'I love running and being an example for younger athletes,'' Zanini said. Rice said she likes inspiring older runners, too. When people in their 50s and 60s say, 'I'm too old to do that,' she tells them they are not. 'I feel as young as when I was 50, and I'd like to be doing this well into my 80s,' Rice said. 'That's my personal goal.' A social life and other interests: Rice said she has a rich social life and enjoys going out to dance, although not in the week before an important race. 'A lot of runners are so serious they don't do anything socially. But I like to have fun,' she said. 'I'm the last one to go home.' Gratitude: Rice can't explain her gift but is grateful she has it. 'Maybe I'm just lucky,' she said. 'And blessed.' Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Crime
NZ Herald
24-04-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
At 77, she's as fit as a 25-year-old - what her body tells us about ageing
Researchers are studying runner Jeannie Rice, who has 'outstanding' fitness, to learn how we can stay healthy as we age. Most runners see substantial performance losses after they turn 70. Not Jeannie Rice, who just turned 77 and ran the Boston Marathon this week.
Times
23-04-2025
- Health
- Times
She's the world's fastest 77-year-old
Let us pause to marvel at the magnificence of possibly the fittest old lady on the planet. Let's take our time to appreciate not just the female athlete but the older female athlete, usually left for dust by the cultural conversation. For anyone struggling to get their creaking knees into gear for the London Marathon on Sunday, or even to go from armchair to fridge, it may be useful to meet Jeannie Rice, who did barely any exercise until she took up jogging at the age of 35 to shift a bit of holiday weight. Now, at 77, this grandmother is not just breaking world records and thundering past runners a third her age, but also astonishing medical researchers. Rice is fast gaining fame as
AU Financial Review
23-04-2025
- Sport
- AU Financial Review
At 77, she's as fit as at 25. What her body tells us about ageing.
Most runners see substantial performance losses after they turn 70. Not Jeannie Rice, who just turned 77 and ran the Boston Marathon on Monday. She has broken world women's records in the 75-79 age group for every distance and, at times, beaten the fastest men in that age group. According to unofficial results, her Boston time was 4 hours, 27 minutes and 17 seconds. It was very slow for Rice, but she still placed first in her age group. Washington Post
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Jeannie Rice, 77, is running the Boston Marathon and shattering records. What's her secret?
Jeannie Rice, 77, is running the Boston Marathon and shattering records. What's her secret? Boston Marathon hopeful Jeannie Rice has turned heads – from fellow athletes and health enthusiasts to researchers – for her superior physical health in her late 70s. Rice, 77, is a medical marvel. She's a world record-holder in various distances for people her age (including a marathon), with the highest VO2 max ever recorded in women over 75 years old and in line with younger distance runners that are the best in the world, according to a report published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Is this doable for everyone? Not exactly. Genetics and other health factors play a role in someone's abilities to achieve peak physical health. But just because not everyone can achieve Rice's level of fitness doesn't mean they can't amp up their diet and exercise routine. A group of scientists recently told USA TODAY that the best methods for living a longer, healthier life are simpler than you think. And if you're here to start your running journey, here are a few extra tips to get you started. Boston Marathon 2025 live: John Korir wins men's race, other updates and highlights The real 'fountain of youth' What's the secret to living longer? Get back to the basics. The things that we know that work today include sticking to an exercise routine, keeping your weight at a healthy level, getting regular and good sleep and avoiding cigarettes and other toxins, according to Dr. Douglas E. Vaughan, professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the director of the Potocsnak Longevity Institute. You should also try and reduce stress in your life and maintain healthy relationships with loved ones. Dr. Thomas Perls, professor of medicine at Boston University and longevity expert, previously told USA TODAY that he recommends curbing alcohol use. On diet specifically, Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor of nutrition, food studies and public health, emerita, at New York University, previously said to eat a variety of minimally-processed "real foods" and balance calories. In the mind of S. Jay Olshansky, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Illinois Chicago, "exercise is about the only equivalent of a fountain of youth that exists today." Is it worth it? People spend $20,000 at this resort to uncover secrets about their health How should a beginner start running? If Rice has inspired you to begin a running journey, remember the old adage: Slow and steady wins the race. Running is a mechanical motion that requires good technique, both for speed and efficiency and for reducing the risk of injury. Jeremy Golden, sports performance expert, previously told USA TODAY that beginners should start slow. 'You crawl before you begin to walk, you walk before you run. You don't want to go all out right away because then you put yourself at risk for injury.' Golden recommended working on running mechanics and having a baseline strength level to make sure that your body can handle the level of pounding that comes with running. 'Any time I've been around a cross-country runner, and they've been successful, they've gotten stronger. They haven't forgotten about the weight room. To run faster for longer, you have to have good strength,' he emphasized. There's no one-size-fits-all approach to running nor longevity at large. But beginning with the basics is the key to giving it a try. Contributing: Delaney Nothaft
