96-year-old Springfield man breaks 5K world record for his age group

Though it’s still pending review, 96-year-old Springfield, Virginia, resident Roy Englert clocked a new 5K record in the 95-99 age group at 42:30.23 during the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Ames, Iowa, last week.

The previous record was 50:10.56, set by Frank Levine in 2009, USA Track & Field said.

Englert holds other running records as well.

And he isn’t much for compliments.

“I don’t consider myself that much of an inspiration. I’m a slow runner,” he said in a Run Washington profile. “But I guess I’ve outlasted almost everybody. It gets easier to win when there’s not as much competition around.”

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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