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Lafayette resident Wally Hesseltine has accomplished something incredible. Not only is Wally 80 years old but he just completed his 29th century footrace! Yep, Wally, for the 29th time, ran 100 miles! He also broke the U.S. record by more than two-and-a-half hours!
On Nov. 12, Wally crossed the finish line of the Tunnel Hill 100 in Vienna, Ill., in a mind-blowing 26:22:26 time. He was the oldest runner to finish. He came in 128th place out of the 179 runners who completed the 100 miles.
The previous record in the 80+ category was 29:03:21 set by a man in Kansas in March 2022.
Wally said he's had his eye on that record since it was set last year.
They are still waiting for confirmation but Wally's time may have also broken a world record for his age!
Wally at the age of 80 is also still a practicing attorney in Lafayette and has been with his law firm for more than 50 years.
He said he’s covered well over 100,000 miles in both his racecourses and grueling training. He pointed out that living in the Bay Area, with its typically mild and temperate climate, made for ideal conditioning and training year-round.
He has completed 56 marathons and more than 200 ultra-marathons.