What makes Olga run? Lessons from a 94-year-old track star

While many of her peers are thinking about long-term care, Olga Kotelko is contemplating the long jump.
The 94-year-old track star is breaking records and astonishing doctors with her energy, longevity and verve for life. Her goal is to live to 120.
“I chose to be a young-at-heart athlete rather than an old woman,” Kotelko told TODAY. When she reveals her age, people often don’t believe her and sometimes demand to see her ID as proof.
Kotelko is the subject of “What Makes Olga Run?: The Mystery of the 90-Something Track Star and What She Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Happier Lives,” a new book that examines her diet, lifestyle, and personality to see what lessons she can offer about aging well.
Kotelko, who lives in Vancouver, is a farmer’s daughter, born in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan. She later became a teacher and raised two children on her own. She was always active, but didn’t take up track and field until age 77.