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80-year-old married runners just ran their last marathon together holding hands.

Age is just a number, and love goes the distance.

Getting older can come with a lot of difficulties. But perhaps the greatest is dealing with weird assumptions about things you can or can't do just because you've lived on this planet longer than others.

Unless, that is, you opt to simply leave those misconceptions in the dust.

That's what 80-year-old Kay and Joe O'Regan did when they decided to start running marathons at age 50.

Here they are crossing their first finish line together in 1986, alongside their most recent hand-in-hand victory:


But the O'Regans aren't just finishing marathons — they're snagging first place in their age brackets. In the Cork City Marathon, which took place on June 6, 2016, they had the fastest time for their group: 5:25:29.

Even though they took up running later in life, that hasn't stopped them from quite literally going the distance.

Photo by Darragh Kane, used with permission.

Joe has run in 29 marathons since 1986, but Kay has massively outpaced him with a whopping 113 marathons under her belt. She's won the Irish National Marathon Championships several times and has broken records too: Her time at the Cork City Marathon earned her the status of fastest 80-year-old woman in the United Kingdom.

While the couple has run many races together and separately, they ran both their first and their most recent (which will also be their last) holding hands.

Photo by Darragh Kane, used with permission.

Kay told People that she thought holding hands definitely helped give Joe the little burst of energy he needed to make it across the finish line — which just goes to show that even in a marriage 57 years strong, love is still key to getting through life.

Aside from their adorable finish, Joe and Kay said they don't see themselves as extraordinary in the slightest.

"Running is just something we do," Joe told Runner's World.

These octogenarians are proof that people are capable of amazing things at any age.

The O'Regans are far from the only ones demonstrating that through their hobbies.

Last year, 92-year-old Harriette Thompson from Charlotte, North Carolina, became the oldest woman to ever finish a marathon. That's 26.2 miles, folks. And she's 92.

Harriette Thompson finishing the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Image via ABC 10 News/YouTube.

86-year-old Yvonne Dowlen has been figure skating since she was 16. Even when she got a bad concussion at 80 and her doctor told her to hang up her skates, she pushed through and still manages to train for an hour every day.

No big deal, but 78-year-old Shirley Webb can deadlift 237 pounds and recently set the deadlift record in Illinois.

So yes, sure, for some people life might get slower with age. But these folks are living proof that it doesn't have to.

It doesn't mean you need to complete crazy feats of strength and endurance to stay fit and healthy. But if you like to be active, it's important to keep pushing yourself forward in order for your body to keep up with your goals.

And of course, it doesn't hurt to have a loving running body cheering you on.

Photo by Darragh Kane, used with permission.

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Meet the 18-year-old advocating for teen mental health, one inspiring podcast at a time

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
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Over 2,900 people commented on the story, and they overwhelmingly agreed that it was her.

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Now those Gen X latchkey kids are parenting Gen Z, with the pendulum of working motherhood having swung somewhat to the middle. We were raised to believe we could be anything we dreamed of being and that we didn't have to choose between being a mom and having a career. Gen X also became mothers during the heyday of parenting self-help books that impressed upon us the importance of attachment and hands-on childrearing, as well as the era of super-scheduled kids, whose activities alone require a full-time manager.

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