93-year-old man completes marathon, inspires others: 'We must always continue'

People's passion for a cause or a sport can get quite inspiring. It seems like nothing can stop them from achieving what they have aimed for. And that's what can be said for 93-year-old Charly Bancarel. He finished the Paris Marathon on April 2, Sunday, in 7 hours and 22 minutes. He reportedly completed 42 kilometers and a few meters in the marathon. Throughout the time, he kept saying, "Thanks, thanks, thanks." He never stopped being grateful to those who encouraged and supported him, as reported by News in France. Bancarel lives in Salers, in the Cantal, and does not think he is old. “We must always continue. We don’t stop when we grow old but we grow old if we stop," he told France Television.

In a video posted on Twitter by @GoodNewsCorres1 of Bancarel, he can be seen running the marathon. He looks confident and seems determined to reach the finishing line. Meanwhile, others can be seen encouraging him, which helped him keep his spirits high. The video ends with him holding a medal. The video has garnered more than 72.9K views and 901 likes. It is captioned, "AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: Charly Bancarel, 93, completed the Paris Marathon on Sunday, April 2nd, in 7 hours & 22 minutes. Charly was the oldest of the 52,000 participants in the race. He started racing at 55 years old and ran his first marathon at 70."

Many on Twitter were in awe of this man. @CTTrooper1091 commented, "That’s one impressive man! Congratulations, what an assumed inspiration. Why can’t we see more stories leading the headlines like this?" @Justin87925317 wrote, "Bloody incredible. Man congratulations." @SinNomb54107159 expressed, "Wow. What a man." @SabineG16827892 commented, "Wow!! He's an inspiration.

Bancarel was not always a sportsman. He only started jogging when he turned 55. From then on, there has been no looking back for him. He has completed ten marathons and crossed the line at the Paris marathon in 7 hours, 22 minutes and 11 seconds. "It’s wonderful, I have tears in my eyes to have received so much encouragement, applause. It’s incredible," he said while wiping his tears. He wanted to finish the marathon in 5 hours, but that did not happen. However, he has not lost hope and will be trying again in a year.

Age is just a number - that stands true for James Fullan as well. He always had the dream of playing college baseball, but it was only recently that he retired from the US Postal Service and decided to take his hobby seriously. “I wanted to do something else with my life,” he told The Washington Post. He decided while sitting on the sidelines at his grandchild's game, "I don't want to be a spectator, I want to be a player." Fullan was nervous that his age might make it hard for him to keep up with his college and also play a sport. “I have to understand my limitations,” he said. “I can’t run full speed, I can’t dive.” He plays both as a right fielder and a left fielder for his team. 

His coach Mike Fitzgerald has also been a great support for him. He said about Fullan, “He’s here because he can contribute.” He added that his skills earned him a spot on the team. “He can put the ball in play. It didn’t surprise me that somebody wants to have their shot to play at this level, it surprised me that he stuck it out and that he could actually do it,” Fitzgerald said.