A few days ago, I was fascinated by the story of a 90-year-old “superager” in San Francisco who skateboards, regularly swims in cold water, and completes rail runs. The man is called Lloyd Kahn.
Kahn fell while downhill skateboarding a few years ago, broke his arm and relayed that his doctor said “he was too old to be riding a skateboard.” Instead of being defeated by the advice, he took up skateboarding again a week later and simply added more knee pads.
The 90-year-old’s home is filled with skateboards and all types of basic strength training equipment like pull-up bars and dumbbells. If he ever has a spare minute, he gets going with a few weights, pullups and planks while at home. He competes in the Dipsea, the oldest trail race in America, and self-brands as “the USA’s only 90-year-old Swiftie.” Check out Kahn’s Substack Live from California for more interesting insights into his lifestyle.
In the articles and posts, Kahn never once mentions any high-tech gadgets like wearables or nutritional supplements, except for one post where he rewards himself with a milkshake after a cold water swim.
That’s interesting, but it’s not the most interesting part of his story. In fact, I almost missed it initially. Kahn mentions that he became obsessed with fitness in his late 50s and early 60s and was in his best possible shape exactly then.
He notes, “I was in my best shape, when you consider age along with strength, flexibility and cardiovascular condition - at ages 55-65 or so. Part of this is certainly that [...], but I also published fitness books and hung out with a world-class runner, a bodybuilding legend, and the world’s foremost stretching authority.”
It was in 1979, when Kahn was a publisher in his late forties, that he discovered a relatively little-known book about stretching by Bob Anderson (today he would certainly be an influencer) and decided to promote this approach and make it a fitness trend.
Khan went on to publish his own series of fitness books in the subsequent years.
This was a pivotal moment for Kahn, he recalls, when he surfed, swam and stretched regularly. Then, Kahn ran his first Dipsea race in 1987 at the ripe age of 52.
Arguably, he is an exception. However, the 50s and 60s are commonly when most people believe they should start to wind down. But this is where Kahn ramped things up a gear and really took being fit seriously. Instead of slacking off, he really took off.
Moreover, it’s not just Kahn. In my research, I found that Natalie Grabow, an 80-year-old Ironman champion, learned to swim at 59 and started triathlons only then. This led me to find Ironman participant Hiromu Inada, who was 85 when he raced in 2018. Like Grabow, he started training in his early 60s.
Therefore, it’s never too late to start getting super fit. This is what these superager stories are screaming at us.
So, what does this mean for agetech and longevity founders? I see a profound lesson here.
Many fitness and health startup initiatives for those over 50 are focused on frailty and preventing falls. A perfect example of this is Bold. The startup is successfully financed with around $27m by the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and agetech specialist Primetime Partners.
Bold is big. The platform offers thousands of “age-friendly” exercise classes, “healthy ageing” educational resources, access to licensed doctors, as well as therapists and nurse practitioners who specialise in “healthy ageing.”
This is all perfectly valid and important. I absolutely embrace the idea. These programs are also financed by healthcare providers, and Medicare members get free access.
Yet, the point I make with superagers like Kahn, Grabow and Inada, however, is that the focus of an active life in one’s 50s and 60s does not have to be limited to addressing frailty.
In fact, for all three, this time was the period when they were at their healthiest, strongest, and most active. Having platforms like Bold as a facility is great, but so are, for example, pickleball and padel platforms, which encourage all ages to be maximally fit by playing sports.
Note: Do not be put off by the athleticism of those in their 20s and 30s; instead, ask your children if they fancy a rally?
It seems unlikely, but even skateboard brands love and embrace the over-50s crowd. Skateboard legend Tony Hawks still skates at 57, and thinks it’s more fun than ever. Then there’s this guy, “the Dude.”
In All About Agetech, we have spotlighted the Spanish padel mega platform Playtomic. Over in the U.S., there is also Pickleheads, much smaller, but also VC-financed. Both platforms boast over a million participants who can book facilities and connect with other players - regardless of age.
Fitness and sports for the over 50s, I stress, should not only be about frailty. There is a role for that, and this is important and valuable, but there is also a whole other dimension. This period can be the exact time to get really, really fit. Skateboard brands know it. Khan, Grabow and Inada proved it.