Sid Howard runningSid Howard, an active member of Central Park Track Club, talked with us about his commitment to personal health and running. Sid, who began running when he was 39 years old, has won dozens of national and international championships, and is a member of the Central Park Track Club Hall of Fame, and in 2024 was inducted to the National Masters Hall of Fame. He has visited five continents in his travels associated with running. Sid turned 70 in February and works out regularly at the 168th Street Armory in Washington Heights. In this interview Sid talks about how he started running and his motivation to keep it up.

Q: When did you get involved in fitness and health--running in particular?

A: This is the 31st year that I have been running. It all began on a ski trip I took in 1978 with my brothers. At the time, my brothers decided to stop eating meat, and I decided to follow them, and today I am still a vegetarian. I would run on weekends with my kids, and one day my son told me there were races for what he considered "old people" (I was 39 at the time), so I signed up for my first race. I was hooked. I think it's never too late to start running. Age is just a number - if you are 49, 59, or 69 - it is never too late to start paying attention to your health.

Q: What's your motivation to run?

A: My number one motivation is the competition. But my second motivation is to maintain my health, and if I couldn't compete, I would be running for my health because health is so important.

Q: What kinds of positive impacts has running had on your life?

A: What running does for you is give you confidence. It also gives you goals to reach for and achieve. Your goals could be finishing a race, your own personal record, or just trying to do better each time you run.

To contact Sid about getting active as a runner email him sidsuper@msn.com or call 908-209-8219

Read more from Sid Howard by clicking the links below:

• Getting started running in Harlem
• Self-care tips for runners
• Running races in New York City and abroad

Harlem Word is a series of interviews with community health experts written by HHPC and reviewed by our Health Advisory Board.