Spanish marathon runner, aged 82, has muscles like a 30-year old

Juan López is well known in the city of Toledo. He worked for decades as a mechanic on an industrial estate in Toledo, a profession he had learned as a young apprentice.

After retiring, he chose to start a brand new life. He began taking long walks at age 66. He even walked along the Camino de Santiago. Then, on advice from his daughter Eva who is a doctor specializing in sports performance he took up running.

He is still running marathons, breaking world records and he has been the subject of scientific research.

It is also true that 77% of his muscle mass matches that of a 30 year-old. In order to analyse his strength in an age where many people are reducing their physical activities, the Faculty of Sports Sciences of Castilla La Mancha University is working with Italian universities Pavia, Padova, as well as the Italian polytechnic institutions of Milan and Turin.

He has the strength of a teenager, no signs of osteoporosis or deterioration, and does not have any medical conditions.

This is how Iván Baltasar Fernández, a researcher at the University of Castilla-La Mancha defines him, saying his is “a very unusual case”.

He has an oxygen consumption rate of 52.8%, which is typical for much younger people. This oxygen can be used to build muscle and burn fat.

Juan López, for his part, has the secret: “When you reach retirement, you should look for things you enjoy, do exercise and motivate yourself to live more years in better physical shape.”

This octogenarian sportsman, who is 82 years old, attributes his physical fitness to three things: “A lot training, good genes, and simple, healthy meals.”

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The next step in his career is the Toledo Marathon, which will take place on 15th November. It’s my first time running it, and even more so in my own city,” says the veteran athlete who, in his youth, only participated in rallies. “But that cost me money because I had new parts to buy.”

He ran his first marathon at the age of 72 in Seville, finishing in three hours and twenty-five minutes.

“I have run 5 marathons. I’ve beaten the world record by almost one minute per kilometer, I’ve won 40 titles here in Spain, I’ve been European champion, I think, on two or three occasions. The truth is, I don’t remember,” he confesses.

In his category, he has also won the world championships in 3000m Indoor, 10km Cross Country and Half Marathon.

He was not stopped by the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020. Even though he didn’t have a treadmill, he trained at home. He ran through each room, completing daily workouts of 20 km.

He trains every day between 10-12 kilometres. You can often see him alone or with a group running along the Ronda del Valle.