This summer, Earl Fee is setting out to break world records at 400 and 800 metres. He’s had injury setbacks and training snafus but nevertheless, the runner plans to push ahead. 

Earl is 95 years old. 

“You have to be relaxed when you’re sprinting, if you tense up, you slow down,” said the owner of more world records than any other living runner, author of The Complete Guide to Running, How to Be a Champion from 9 to 90 and Earl Fee is Running, and currently typing out a new book today. 

“You need humility if you want to be great. That, plus a good sense of humour keeps you young.”

<a href="https://www.irun.ca/index.php/95-year-old-legend-plans-to-take-down-two-sprinting-world-records-next-month/tsa111918_fashion01-2/"><img class="alignnone wp-image-66602 size-large" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/TSA111918_Fashion01-671x1024.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="977"></a>

Fee has been a longtime friend of iRun and his personality mixed with longevity mixed with extraordinary results makes him a leading light in our sport. His plainspoken wisdom and everyday work habits expressed joyfully makes him someone worth listening to, whether or not you have big race goals. He had a hernia operation and fell recently at the track, but remains committed to racing. He enjoys workouts, his friends and his community and plans a busy summer of competition. 

“Things don’t always go smoothly when you get older and you lose endurance and a little bit of speed, but I can certainly keep running,” says Fee, who claims exercise, positivity and diet are the secrets to long lasting good health. “Racing feels like freedom—at any age."&nbsp;

Karla Del Grande has been named Ontario’s Athletic Masters Female Athlete of the Year an astonishing twelve times and she’s a close friend of Earl’s. She finds inspiration in Earl’s journey. 

“He gets the best out of himself, which is what everyone should strive to do. He enjoys all the training and competing, taking it seriously, but having fun,” says Del Grande. “He has always included mental as well as physical training, and running training along with strength training with weights and cross-training in the pool, for example, long before others touted that as important. He's been doing all of this for years—as it works.”

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-66604 size-large" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/TSA111918_Fashion03-663x1024.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="988">Fee is back on the track and touting June as the month to take down the over-95 world sprinting records. Training for the 800 metre events means stretching, walking, longer running and then sprint drills, short 200 metre bursts of speeds. Diet, he says, like his glass of wine with dinner every evening, is essential.&nbsp;

“I eat a lot of vegetables, not much fruit and a small amount of protein,” says Earl, who likes two ounces of salmon or chicken mixed with his steamed vegetables. “People talk about fasting or extreme diets, but there’s no need. Eating sensibly is the best approach for remaining healthy and strong over time.”&nbsp;

Fee was great friends with the distance legend Ed Whitlock, pictured below, and told me he once asked Ed what he thought about during his marathon running. “When will this be over?” is what Ed said and Fee seems to share Ed’s down to earth approach to our sport.&nbsp;

"You have to have fun," he says.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-32835 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/EdWhitlock.jpg" alt="" width="487" height="336">Admittedly, the last few falls have left him somewhat shaken and the 95-year-old is still feeling his way back to fighting form. “I have to get my confidence back,” he told me, “The surgeon said I’m strong, but I’m not quite there yet. Everything has to be gradual, but a few months ago I surprised myself: I didn’t need any help mowing my lawn.”&nbsp;

Earl Fee is a dancer, sprinter, wine lover and running book author with big summertime goals. The journey, he says, makes him feel young. “If you’re positive with a good sense of humour, it’s good for the mind,” he says. “I think I can live past 100 and have no plans of giving up anything: why would I quit?"&nbsp;

95-Year-Old Legend Plans to Take Down Two Sprinting World Records Next Month

Dawn run: I’m heading east, into the sun. Coyotes yelp along the river, crows crank out their rusty mating calls, and all is well. . .well, I’m slower than I’ve ever been, and often these mornings there’s a different glitch, in my knees or elsewhere, but that’s all right. I’ll take this day and this run as it comes, enjoying even the headwinds and the hills before I turn my back to the east wind after 5k and head back home.

Nearly four years ago I put together an item on running. At the ripe old age of 75 years and after a half-century of running, I felt that it was time to reflect on what running had given me and how my attitude to my “positive addiction” had changed over the years. I was gratified when iRun Magazine agreed to print that article, “Time’s Arrow”: Reflections on a Life in Running Shoes,” and other runners, several of them who were younger than I was at the time, responded positively. I thought that I had said it all, that the article would be my final, verbal shot on the joys of running.  

But much has happened in the past nearly four years, some of it possibly instructive to other runners who may be tempted to wear those shoes for something other than running.

A year or so ago after having some blood work done, I was told that my PSA was elevated. My nurse practitioner said, “You’re too fit for prostate problems. They seldom happen to folks who get the exercise you do. That’s just not in the cards for you.” It was. I had tests and met with an oncologist in London. Guys are just made for this, it seems. Most of us already knew this, but like other inevitable events in our lives, I thought that such things always happened to someone else. Hearing that I was among the afflicted hit hard. 

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-66612 size-large" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_5075-768x1024.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="853" />

The upside? Because I was in reasonable shape, the doc. said he could find the money for brachytherapy, and I’m now the somewhat proud bearer of 45 radiated seeds in my undercarriage. That expensive approach is most often offered to much younger patients, but the therapy went well, and the oncologist, the brilliant Vikram Velker in London, ON, even left me a handwritten note saying that all had gone according to plan. The point that I’m making is simply this—running, and likely any activity we do, has benefits that go far beyond the obvious weight management, better appearance, and feeling of well-being that we daily associate with our running. 

My oncologist will be in touch on June 14th after I have had more bloodwork done, and I’m hoping that the news will be good, but even if there’s a downturn in my situation, these past months have given me more time on the trails and roads, more time to reflect and be thankful that I had the level of fitness that running had given me. I’m also grateful for the wonderful health care I’ve received, for the patient understanding that everyone from receptionists to nurses, to specialists have afforded me throughout what was, at times, a trying predicament.

I’m now more convinced more than ever that frequent exercise can, and does, have psychological and physiological benefits that go beyond the elation that comes from the activity, and this goes for everyone of any gender, age, or ability level. 

The procedure happened in December, just before Christmas, and I’ve been running—jogging might be closer to the truth—but I’m out there, grateful for those many decades of running, encouraged by the lack of side-effects, happy for every, now purposeful step as I move through my hometown. I now regard my situation as being more of a “condition” than an “affliction,” but that’s quite possibly just a rationalization on my part. And I do recall that the venerable, even saintly, Ed Whitlock who died of prostate problems at the age of 85 when he ran a 3:15 marathon six months or so before his death. 

Old instincts die hard, and my long-time great friend and running partner, Phil, is even teasing me into agreeing to run the Clarendon to Winchester Marathon in the U.K. as a way of celebrating my 80th year on the planet in October of 2025. That run on trails, by ambiguously marked signposts, beside cathedrals, and in front of ivy-covered pubs may be just the thing for an old lad who can use the excuse of getting lost as a reason for his not finishing in the top half of the field. 

 Time’s arrow will eventually have us in its sights, but a moving target is a harder thing to hit, and I plan to keep on moving as much and as vigorously as I can for some time to come. 

Heading west now, my long shadow in front of me, I’m already thinking about changing up my run a little tomorrow—maybe a trail or a loop down by the harbour to see if any of the huge lake boats have come in overnight. And while the moon prepares to take her morning dip into Lake Huron, I know that for the moment all is well, and with the heavier thuds of my runners and a solid 10k in, to start the day, I pull into my driveway, once again.

Old Instincts Die Hard: Benefits of Running with Age

There's a reassuring firmness to the new <a href="https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_ca/glycerin-21-womens-neutral-cushioned-running-shoe/120408.html">Brooks Glycerin 21</a>, an anecdote almost to the big foam, giant cushioning which has become the latest running shoe trend. Tied tightly at a series of mile repeats at 10K, half marathon and blitzkrieg speeds, the Glycerin 21 almost took on an anthropomorphic characteristic—they felt like wolves on my feet.

The Glycerin series, first launched in 2002, is arguably the flagship shoe from Brooks, the Seattle-based company that surpassed Nike in women's running shoe sales in 2021 and touts "Run Happy," as their inspiration slogan. Through the years, the Glycerin has morphed and adapted—a wider toe box, a fitted tongue, various innovations in foam—and this new model, sleek and aerodynamic, soft and fast—marks a major step forward of a legacy product.  

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-65693 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/120408-496-s-glycerin-21-womens-cushion-running-shoe.png" alt="" width="480" height="480" />

Weighing 9.8 ounces with a 10mm midsole drop, the Glycerin 21—white, black and grey with aqua blue accents in the pair that I tried—out-performed many of my other shoes on the track. During my first set of 2-mile repeats, I felt the shoe not only steady me, but provide excellent energy return. The Glycerin 21 features nitrogen-infused DNA Loft v3, innovative cushioning, and midsole propulsion. 

After completing the bulk of my mileage, my race team approached a series of 800s to practice speed work on tired legs. I had the sensation the shoes were working with me. At $200, a racer could be forgiven for thinking they were running on a carbon-plate. Shoe technology has made radical innovations since 2002 and the long tail behind this great Running Boom is that your average mid-price sneaker offers value, comfort and speed. It's hard in 2024 to buy a bad pair of shoes. 

I wore the Glycerin 21 again on my Sunday long run and found the flexible fit withstood the extended kilometres. Again, I felt like I had wolves on my feet—a powerful mental exercise which acted, to me, as an endorphin. 

With expert support and durable softness, the new <a href="https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_ca/glycerin-21-womens-neutral-cushioned-running-shoe/120408.html">Glycerin 21 by Brooks</a> is one I'd be happy to recommend.

Shoe Review: Brooks Glycerin 21

ASICS GEL-NIMBUS has been called their most comfortable shoe yet, and it's hard to hear hyperbole like that and quantify it and obviously it invites skepticism. How do you measure "comfort," objectively? I put the shoes on during objectively uncomfortable circumstances. It was freezing. This much I know for sure.

I've worn many different types of ASICS, from the KAYANO I started in fifteen years ago to the METASPEED EDGE+, a super shoe that costs more than three hundred dollars and has a carbon-plate and weighs just over seven ounces. All of these shoes are comfortable, certainly. But I've been thinking about it ever since reading that initial statement and hot damn, I believe it's true. The GEL-NIMBUS 26 might just be the Most Comfortable Shoe I've Ever Worn in My Life.

<a href="https://www.irun.ca/ss24_gel-nimbus-26_highlight_h2t_group_winter/" rel="attachment wp-att-64637"><img class="alignnone wp-image-64634 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SS24_GEL-NIMBUS-26_HIGHLIGHT_H2T_GROUP_WINTER.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400"></a>

Built upon PureGEL Technology, combined with FF BLAST PLUS ECO, types of trademarked foam that elevate the toe box and heel, the ride almost goes beyond smooth. Cloud-like is practically cliche in shoe descriptions, but in this case: it's apt. The fit is snug and, yes, comfortable, and feels like an innovation we might see aped by other shoe companies.

It's just that good.

The tongue and upper are form-fitted, embracing the foot and lower ankle, and I could immediately feel the innovation upon landings and transitions. Of course, most shoes feel energetic and responsive when upon a Peloton straight out of the box. I wore the GEL-NIMBUS 26 on a long run in the snow and, afterwards, the shoe felt just as good on the treadmill in my gym. The GEL-NIMBUS 26 isn't only comfortable, it's durable. And there's a reason it felt so good in the (uncomfortable) cold—it has special HYBRID ASICSGRIP tread, so it's the perfect shoe for right now. It's actually designed for all conditions, without adding weight to the shoe or making a runner purchase trail sneakers.

<a href="https://www.irun.ca/ss24_gel-nimbus-26_highlight_on-foot_f_winter_2/"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-64636" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SS24_GEL-NIMBUS-26_HIGHLIGHT_ON-FOOT_F_WINTER_2.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400"></a>These additions are what I've been asking the industry for since the advent of the super shoe: value. It's no secret that in the Era of the Super Shoe prices have crept up to beyond four hundred dollars. And I think it's great that technology has helped athletes achieve faster finishing times and quicker recovery, and I also love that amateur runners are now able to wear dynamic sneakers that objectively help bring down times. However, running's initial beauty lied, in part, tin hat you could just leave home in a pair of old shorts and kicks, and it was a democratic, accessible sport for EVERYONE. Four hundred dollar sneakers move us well beyond that territory to a place I feel isn't terribly terrific for our sport. Besides, most of us don't need rocket ships to run in.

What we need are comfortable shoes reasonably priced that are durable and comfortable and, especially in Canada, built to sustain the long (long) winter. It's hard for me to say the GEL-NIMBUS 26 is the most comfortable shoe yet from ASICS—winner of the 2023 Golden Sneaker for Brand of the Year.

I think it's the Most Comfortable Shoe of All-Time.

<a href="https://www.asics.com/ca/fr-ca/collections/performance/gel-nimbus"><img class="alignleft wp-image-64640 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SS4_ASICS_GEL-NIMBUS-26_468x60.png" alt="" width="468" height="60"></a>

Shoe Review: ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 26

Shoes can transform your running enjoyment. In the wintertime, running outdoors, the rules behind sneakers all must change.

"Anyone running outside right now, I'd highly recommend trail shoes," says Kelly Savage, one of the experts at Calgary's world famous <a href="https://www.stridesrunning.com/">Strides running store</a>. "They're versatile and have extra traction so they're good in the snow and muck, but also can be worn in other seasons, on the trail."

Most of the major shoe brands make great winter running shoes and several of them offer different varieties. New Balance in particular makes different models. There's the 880V11 GTX and the <a href="https://www.newbalance.ca/en_ca/pd/fresh-foam-x-more-trail-v3/MTMORCK3-D-10.html?Ecid=ps_MTMORCK3_Google_PLA&amp;ncr=true&amp;&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAnfmsBhDfARIsAM7MKi1mR9CjxWqFx3ipldko4qaTKJPyvywxc0IUno8yOtPeIwSnDb7FlR0aAg4qEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Fresh Foam X More Trail v3</a>, pictured below. They differ in lug weight, price and materials. Some are winterized updates of familiar models while others are custom shoes built for Canadian winters.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-64431 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-10-at-7.43.29 AM.jpg" alt="" width="814" height="812" />

This winter, we've loved the pretty <a href="https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/gel-nimbus-21-winterized/p/ANA_1012A541-400.html">ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 21v Winterized</a>, whose lugs are pictured below, which are sturdy as a Mack Truck, though none of these shoes are entirely waterproof. Additionally, HOKA makes the <a href="https://www.hoka.com/en/ca/mens-trail/speedgoat-5-gtx-spike/195719646356.html?source=shoppingsite_PLA_1133550-BBLC-10.5D&amp;kpid=1133550-BBLC-10.5D&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=pla&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAnfmsBhDfARIsAM7MKi2ahvsSkYhms0zrCDkiV12_g_vKZpQMJHQFc2HBIUEW9oHx9vfXirMaAmxdEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">SpeedGoat GTX Spike</a> and Saucony has the Peregrine Ice+. The Saucony model is extremely popular—my winter running shoe, pictured at the very top—and Saucony has been ahead of the curve with cold-weather sneakers. Meanwhile, many, but not all, of the winter shoes are Gore-tex, so decide if your feet get cold and what sort of socks you want to wear. Of course, you're going to have to adjust times for speed work and even long runs in winter shoes, as these are heavier and not designed for quickness, but stability.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-64432 size-large" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-10-at-7.51.54 AM-1024x510.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="319" />

At Strides, their winter shoes average around $200, but the investment is sound, says Savage, because you can keep your winter shoes beyond a single season. In a sense, they're the anti-carbon-plated sneakers. They're purposefully built to last.

"Some trail shoes, like the Salomon, have spikes, which is a winter version of their usual shoe, excellent on ice, but all trail shoes are good in tough conditions because of the extra grippiness from the lugs," Savage told iRun.

There's an alternative for cost-conscious runners looking to start 2024 without buying new shoes: spikes and wool socks. At <a href="https://www.therunnersshop.com/">Runners Shop</a> in Toronto, their shoe expert Ben D. Nelson offered this advice. "There are two easy ways to winterize your favourite running shoes—you can wear wool or waterproof socks and you can add traction aids," the footwear expert said. The <a href="https://www.therunnersshop.com/products/feetures-cushion-merino-crew">cushioned Feetures Merino socks</a> he recommends are $30; while <a href="https://www.therunnersshop.com/products/dexshell-waterproof-socks">waterproof socks from Dexshell</a> will set you back $55.

At Runners Shop, they sell Nordic Grip traction aids that can snap easily, according to Nelson, on your regular running shoes. They cost $44.99, pictured below.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-64433 size-large" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-10-at-7.59.20 AM-1000x1024.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="655" />
<div>"Wool is a magical natural fibre that can keep your feet warm and comfortable even when it's wet," continues Nelson of the Runners Shop. "If you want to avoid moisture all together, there are performance waterproof socks available."</div>
<div></div>
<div>It's hard to run outdoors in the wintertime for all the usual reasons, chiefly that it's cold and uncomfortable. But the proper footwear—and sock game—will help your training remain on track for your spring races (and we all know you can't replicate race conditions on a treadmill). Temperature, precipitation and personal taste will dictate your winter shoes needs. In Vancouver, a runner might need the Gore-tex for the wet winter while in Calgary trail shoes might be the better option, because it's not as cold. In Toronto, I'm a baby and get cold hands and feet, so I want all the warmth I can find.</div>
"A lot of people wear regular road shoes in the winter and you can survive, but for safety reasons I think it's better to switch to a trail shoe," concludes Savage. "I wouldn't say any one of these shoes is far superior to any of the others, but winter shoes are worth the investment. I don't want to see people fall and injure themselves."

Is there a winter shoe or a winter sock you love? Let us know. Meanwhile, if you find a running glove that works, no holding back: share the information!!

What You Need to Know About Winter Running Shoes

In racing in super shoes from Nike, ASICS and Saucony, the ASICS were my favourite, hands down. Of course, when dealing with carbon-plated shoes, it's like comparing sports cars and Thoroughbreds—each is powerful, expensive and awe-inspiring. Today's runner wearing any of these—or from New Balance and HOKA—would have huge advantages over runners from any previous era: all offer lightweight bounce, cushioning and springiness, the likes of which never before has been seen.

This is why all the records are breaking. The sport remains the same. Our shoes keep getting better. But what super shoes are the best?

Last spring, in a <a href="https://www.irun.ca/index.php/cam-levins-rebuilt-his-mind-and-body-to-become-the-fastest-marathoner-on-the-continent-he-wants-to-go-faster/">profile of Cam Levins</a>, his strength coach David McHenry said: "We did a side-by-side analysis of the ASICS METASPEED and the Vaporfly, and realized the ASICS was a far better shoe for him. It had far better biomechanics. I was pretty astounded."

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-63056 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-09-at-11.20.09-AM.jpg" alt="" width="902" height="952" />

I didn't run side-by-side analysis, but the words remained in my head as I finished my marathon last month in the <a href="https://www.asics.com/ca/en-ca/metaspeed-sky-1013a115-300">ASICS METASPEED SKY+</a>. I was told that you really feel the difference in a super shoe at the end of your race. That's hard to say. I feel it also at the beginning. Wearing the METASPEED SKY+, which weighs 205 grams, has a 33 millimetre heel height and 28 millimetre forefoot (the toe rises up when it sits on the ground), I felt cocked and loaded. The shoes have such spring that it feels unnatural to be standing still.

With supreme durability and grip, the METASPEED SKY+ are the kind of shoes that cry out for new socks. They felt connected to my foot and, as the race went long and my form broke down, as I really needed everything I could find, I could feel the shoe retaining its springiness. I only wore them once before my race and felt like they maintained their integrity. The marketing materials say the curved outsole helps runners conserve energy, and that may have been the case in my marathon. It's hard to pinpoint exactly but, in a shoe designed like a Ferrari, I believe.

Besides: one dollop less of energy and I would have finished that thing in the arms of the runner beside me.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-62726 size-full" src="https://www.irun.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/image0-3.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="428" />Other things to know about the $325 super shoe: it comes in a really pretty and super vibrant "diva pink" colour, and is engineered to be environmentally friendly. The upper is made with at least 20% recycled polyester and the dying process uses less water, and releases fewer carbon emissions, than many of the competing shoes.

I found the shoe fit true in a size 9.5, and felt fast in the METASPEED SKY throughout my race (well, fast according to the Scale of Me). Of course, I'll never run like Cam Levins and I certainly don't have a coach advising me on my shoes. But the FF Blast Turbo cushioning in the METASPEED SKY+ is light, propulsive and responsive—for an old man huffing his way through the marathon, that felt pretty good.

Week 37: The REAL Debate Happening 🏃

Shop True North Series

95-Year-Old Legend Plans to Take Down Two Sprinting World Records Next Month

Old Instincts Die Hard: Benefits of Running with Age

Shoe Review: Brooks Glycerin 21

Shoe Review: ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 26

What You Need to Know About Winter Running Shoes

Shoe Review: ASICS METASPEED SKY+