85-year-old French runner speeds to 1,500m and 3,000m world records
Jean-Louis Esnault ran an average pace of 4:33 per km to win the 3,000m event
ESAQY
At 85, France’s Jean-Louis Esnault shows no signs that he’s ready to stop running. On Thursday at the World Masters Athletics Indoor (WMAi) Championships in Gainesville, Fla., Esnault set a new world record in the men’s (85-89) 3,000m event, running 13:39.24 (ratification pending) and besting the former record of 13:41.96, set in 2016 by the Canadian masters legend, the late Ed Whitlock, by more than two and a half minutes. Esnault followed that dazzling performance by throwing down in the 1,500m on Saturday, running 6:08.47 to better the former record of 6:38.87 (also set by Whitlock, in 2016).
Even apart from his world record achievements, Esnault’s results in Florida are astounding; he took first (in the 85-89 division) in the 60m hurdles, 200m, 400m and 800m events, and second in the 6,000m.
Esnault is known for his resilience and versatility and has racked up numerous accolades as a masters athlete. In 2022, coinciding with his 50th wedding anniversary, Esnault secured two gold medals at the World Masters Championships in Tampere, Finland: one in the 400m, setting a European record, and another in the 2,000m steeplechase; at the 2023 European Masters Championships in Pescara, Italy, Esnault bagged four individual golds and a team bronze, competing in events ranging from the 200m hurdles to the 10,000m. He has also competed in more than 60 marathons and contributes some of his success to a healthy, but moderate, lifestyle. “Good meals and alcohol are tolerated to some extent at an age where you can still indulge yourself,” he told worldmastersathletics.org.
Canada’s Wendy Alexis smashes world record, twice
On Friday, Ottawa’s Wendy Alexis ran 30.33 in the W65 200m final, also at the WMAi Championships in Gainesville, Fla., setting a new W70 world record. Since Alexis turned 70 after the competition had already begun, she competed in the W65 age category, but her time qualifies for a W70 record. Her time surpassed a record she had set only a day before.
Alexis had already made history in the preliminary round when she won her heat in 30.68—smashing the former world record of 31.17 and eclipsing Karla Del Grande’s Canadian record of 31.18. (Fellow Canadian Renata Macherzynska also advanced to the final, finishing sixth.)
On Monday, March 24th, Alexis added another title to her name, winning the W65 60m final in 8.95 after running 8.98 in the heats. She was joined on the podium by Puerto Rico’s Marie-Lande Mathieu (9.02) and the U.S.’s Carol Robertson (9.17). Macherzynska narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in 9.21.
