At the remarkable age of 91, Koichi Kitabatake is poised to become the oldest participant in this year’s TCS New York City Marathon.

This will mark his 34th marathon, a significant feat considering he only took up running after retiring from his career as a telecommunications specialist at the age of 74.

Kitabatake completed his inaugural marathon in 2012 when he was 78 years old.

Since then, the dedicated runner from Kanagawa, Japan, has traversed the globe to compete in marathons, he revealed to the Daily Mail.

Having completed 33 marathons to date, including two previous runs in New York, Kitabatake is ready for the challenge once more. This year’s marathon is scheduled for November 2 and spans 26.2 miles across all five boroughs of New York City.

In preparation for this formidable challenge, the nonagenarian shared some of his secrets for maintaining both physical and mental health well into his 90s with the Daily Mail.

He said: ‘I do a short workout and stretching every morning for about half an hour. 

‘Then I run four to six miles twice a week, depending on how I feel.’

Along with helping to improve his overall fitness, Kitabatake revealed that running has changed his outlook on life and boosted his mental health. 

At 91, Koichi Kitabatake is set to be the oldest runner in the TCS New York City Marathon

The New York City marathon takes place on November 2. It covers 26.2 miles through all five boroughs of New York City

He explained: ‘Running has taught me patience and perseverance in everything. 

‘I no longer get overly excited or depressed by the trivial events of daily life, and I can truly feel my health.’

When it comes to his diet, Kitabatake said he sticks to fresh ingredients with vegetables the focus of most of his meals. 

He revealed: ‘My diet is built around a large amount of vegetables, a moderate amount of meat or fish, protein from processed soybean, and a small amount of carbohydrates, such as bread and rice.’ 

Instead of butter, he uses extra virgin olive oil for cooking, which is known to support heart health and lower bad cholesterol. It also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to keep cells healthy. 

Thanks to his clean diet and daily workout routine, Kitabatake told this website that his overall health is ‘excellent’. 

‘Running has been key to maintaining my good health particularly as I grow older,’ he added.

Health experts highlight that regular exercise is essential for healthy aging. 

To date, Kitabatake has completed 33 marathons in total: 12 in Japan and 21 overseas

Strength training prevents muscle loss and maintains mobility, while weight-bearing activities support bone health. 

Meanwhile, cardio exercise protects the heart, lowers blood pressure, and improves metabolism. 

The CDC recommends that adults aged 80 and older engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, such as jogging. 

This can be broken down into shorter sessions throughout the week. This should be complemented by muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days per week and balancing activities (such as standing on one foot or heel-to-toe walking) to reduce the risk of falls.

To date, Kitabatake has completed 12 marathons in Japan and 21 overseas, though not every race he’s run has been a success. 

On four occasions, he was marked DNF (Did Not Finish) due to exceeding the time limit.

Many major marathons set a six- to eight-hour limit. This translates roughly to 13 to 18 minutes per mile.Kitabatake

Kitabatake has no intention of slowing down, telling the Daily Mail: ‘I sincerely hope this will not be my last New York City Marathon.’

And when he was due to run the Chicago Marathon in 2023, Kitabatake had to withdraw shortly before the race because he wasn’t feeling well.

Of all of his races, though, Kitabatake told Daily Mail his most memorable was the Tokyo Marathon in 2019 because of the intense weather, which was so severe it slowed him down and he didn’t make the time cut off.

He told Daily Mail: ‘Due to the severe cold and rain, I couldn’t make the time cut-off, finishing at about 18 miles.’

Looking ahead to this weekend’s New York City Marathon, which about 55,000 people run, Kitabatake said he is most looking forward to ‘running on the same course as the world’s top athletes and drawing energy from more than 2 million enthusiastic spectators.’

Kitabatake’s first attempt at the TCS New York City Marathon was in 2012 and his wife traveled from Japan to support him. 

However, it was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. Kitabatake’s entry was carried over for two years and he went on to run the race in 2014. 

That year, he completed the race in 5:44:26. The fastest time ever recorded in the New York City Marathon was set by Dennis Kipruto Kimetto of Kenya in 2013, with a time of 2:05:03.

He said: ‘The first time, in 2014, I finished as the first place runner in my age category at exactly 80 years old; and in 2018, I was the oldest male runner in the field.’ 

This year, Kitabatake’s target time is seven hours and 15 minutes, though he added he wants to ‘simply finish it,’ describing the experience as ‘joyful, painful, satisfying.’

And he has no intention of slowing down, adding: ‘I sincerely hope this will not be my last New York City Marathon.’

The TCS New York City Marathon is produced by New York Road Runners