How this Minnesota ultramarathoner keeps moving at 74

At an age when many people look to get off their feet, Michael Koppy thinks about where he’ll use his next.

And that means running.

At 69, he set the speed record — a milestone known as the “fastest known time,” or FKT — for completing the 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail along Minnesota’s North Shore. His time of 5 days, 3 hours and 44 minutes eclipsed the previous mark by more than a day — set by a runner who could be his grandson.

The Hermantown man’s footprints are all over the U.S. trail running and ultramarathon scenes.

Now 74, Koppy shows few signs of slowing. He still aims big after 25 years of ultramarathons.

Koppy is set to compete Saturday in the prestigious Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in the Sierra Nevada of California.

Intense climbs and drops await, but Koppy could be the oldest finisher since the race began in 1977 if he breaks the tape faster than the 30-hour cutoff. (An 80-year-old Wyoming man also is competing.) Koppy is confident, having done a 70-mile “training camp” last month with fellow Western States entrants on the course.

Koppy nearly pulled off similar acclaim in northern Minnesota at the infamous Arrowhead 135 from International Falls to Tower last January before his run unraveled in the final miles and he had to scratch. Still, he has completed nine 200-plus-mile runs.

He qualified for Western States at the rugged Cocodona 250 last May through the Arizona desert.

For all the extremes, he finds clarity in his singular dedication all these miles later. Here are his thoughts on running, motivation and boredom, edited for length and clarity:

I am a goal-oriented person. I set goals for myself and go after them. Once I achieve them, I usually set another one that is a little harder. That lends itself well to ultras. You can climb the ladder.

I love running. I make my best decisions while I am running. Things seem to fall into their proper place out there. It is a spiritual and meditative practice for me. The stresses of daily life melt away.

I can’t imagine my life not having running in it. You don’t get up in the morning and think, should I have breakfast or not? You just do it. Running is such an integral part of my life. I don’t question if I am going for a run. The only question is, how long and where?

Life is so much more enjoyable when you are in shape to do things. My quality of life at 74 is just as good as it was at 20. I don’t have to say, ‘I can’t do that.’ The physical part [of running] makes my regular life much more enjoyable. The key is to try to be moving all the time. I don’t know what the next few years will bring for me. My knees talk to me now. If I am slow in one area, I try to compensate in another area.

When you travel, you get to see places you don’t see as a tourist. You get to meet people on the street. You see homes the way they are — and not fixed up for the tourists. You see how people really live.

When I am training, I let my mind go wherever it wants to go. In a race, I am tuning into all the different parts of my body. Is my upper body relaxed? How is my breathing? The races are uncomfortable. That is just a given. You have to deal with that. I monitor myself continuously. I feel just the opposite of bored.