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Sammy Linebaugh Reporting"Senior Citizen" simply doesn't fit one Orem man who now has not only finished the "Wasatch 100" endurance race, he did it in under 36 hours making him the most seasoned competitor to complete the race in it's 23 year history.
Grant Holdaway wears a lot of hats. He manages a 25 acre farm and runs a garden shop.
"I'm the CEO, but I'm also the chief peon, you know, I do a lot of the work."
He also operates Pumpkinland--a sort of petting zoo and spook alley for some of his closest friends.
"For a solid month it'll be solid kids. Six to seven buses will come at a time. It's just fun for them, so it's fun for me."
But it's what he does in his spare time that seems to have made a believer out of everybody.
At age 72 with a plan and a support team and good old-fashioned determination, the Orem farmer and grandfather of 15 became the oldest runner to complete the Wasatch 100, finding the finish line just minutes before the 36 hour cutoff.
“I knew I was there. I knew I was so I could get under, but if my mind was really functioning properly I would have said, ‘okay stand up straight. Let’s really go in there.’’
Two hundred eighteen started the race. Just 134 would finish.
Barbara Holdaway, Grant's #1 Fan: “I’m proud of my husband; he’s an amazing fellow.”
An ‘amazing fellow’ who just two days later, was back working the farm. How does he do it? He runs between 50 and 80 miles per week, getting up as early as 4 AM. He also works with a personal trainer twice a week.
