If you had any doubts that excellence in running is possible at an advanced age and after knee replacement surgery, look no further than Jim Howard of Applegate, Calif. Howard has three previous Western States Endurance Run (WSER) finishes, winning the legendary 100-mile race from Olympic Valley to Auburn, Calif., in 1981 and 1983. And though it’s 20 years since his last finish there, he is set to race again this year after undergoing a double knee replacement six years ago. “I’m in pursuit of longevity in the sport of ultrarunning,” he said in an Instagram post by the race. Howard is 70.
According to ultrasignup.com, Howard had no ultra results between 2011 and 2020–and before that, most of his results were at 50K and 50-mile races. He returned to ultras in 2020, running a 50K, and over the next five years he racked up four 100K finishes (three of them at Canyons Endurance Runs, which follows the Western States trail).
Will a knee replacement end your running career?
Howard endured more than 10 years of knee pain resulting from osteoarthritis, eventually having surgery to replace both knees. Now, he says he’s “training strong–and heavy.” His goal on June 28 is “to finish at a strong pace, and to finish with my artificial knees, with the idea of continuing many more years of ultra racing.”
Popular wisdom about running and knees is slowly changing, as we learn more about what the human body is capable of. Not only is the notion that osteoarthritis is caused by “wear and tear” from running losing currency, but various recent studies support the notion that formerly active people are better off resuming their previous athletic activities than avoiding them (after appropriate recovery and rehabilitation, of course).
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