PORTLAND, Ore — If you’re fortunate enough to not only be alive, but be alive and healthy on your 90th birthday, how would you celebrate?
Would you consider jumping in the river for a half-mile swim?
How about lacing up your sneakers for a 3-mile run?
Does the idea of a 12½-mile bike ride sound like a good way to celebrate?
Well, Lew Hollander is planning to do all three for his 90th birthday this weekend.
He was born on June 6, 1930 in New York, and he now calls the town of Terrebonne, near Bend in Deschutes County, home.
The great outdoors of Central Oregon will serve as his playground Saturday, when he celebrates 90 by tackling what’s known as a “sprint” triathlon.
The half-mile swim, 3-mile run and 12½-mile bike ride represent about half the distances of an Olympic triathlon. Hollander is well aware of that, because he’s run plenty of those before, too.
What he’s best known for though are Ironman races. Those involve swimming for 2.4 miles, cycling for another 112 miles, and then running a full marathon (26.2 miles)!
In fact, just 6 years ago at the age of 84, Hollander became the oldest person in the World to finish an Ironman distance race.
Two years before that, at 82, he became the oldest person to finish the famous Hawaii Ironman World Championship.
Even with all those accomplishments, his best may still be yet to come, because Hollander is planning many more birthday celebrations.
"I'm targeting 120," Hollander told me, with a straight face and without batting an eye. "I realize that's beyond the normal, current lifespan of anybody."
Then he added with a smile, "I'm hoping that they will have innovative interventions that will lift me over the last 10 years, or whatever."
Check out the video attached here to see the full interview with Lew Hollander, including an appearance by his wife towards the end of the conversation. The two just celebrated their first wedding anniversary 3 months ago in March.