Eastern Ontario 80-year-old man celebrates birthday with half marathon

At 80-years-old, Bill Poole is breaking barriers after running his first half marathon.

Poole finished with a time of 2:49 in an informal race from Mallorytown Landing to downtown Brockville, Ont. on Saturday.

"Maybe less than a year ago, I just had a thought: 'I'd like to try a half marathon when I'm 80.' And Jordan, my son in law, said, 'I'll do it with you,'" Poole said.

Poole celebrated his birthday on Thursday, and wanted to cross this run off his bucket list.

He took up running when he was 65-years-old and started competing in the Canada 55+ Games – running 200 metre, 400 metre, 800 metre and 1500 metre races.

Poole was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014, which held him from competing. But 10 years after his diagnosis, he was able to complete a half marathon, something he never envisioned at the time.

"Because I didn't do long distances, I'd never done it anywhere close to that before," he said.

Poole has a nonchalant attitude about his running, but his wife, Susan Poole, admires the dedication her husband has.

"He just wanted to do it," she explained with a laugh. "He's very determined, very determined, and a little stubborn."

Now that Poole has crossed the finish line, his next half marathon will be at an organised event in Regina, Sask. with his daughter in September.

"That'll probably be the last," he said with a smile.