McHenry Times

The saying "age ain't nothing but a number" definitely applies to Crystal Lake resident George Diedrichs who, at 90 years young, continues his decades-long tradition of running three miles every day. 

City Council recently welcomed Diedrichs to its meeting on March 7 where he lead the Pledge of Allegiance and addressed council. 

"The thing is now, these last four or five years, I’ve slowed down to practically a trickle," Diedrichs said at the meeting. "That kind of embarrasses me a little bit, but I’m out there doing it, and I intend to keep doing it as long as I can. I think that people could live to be 100 years old if they take good care of themselves. I watch very carefully what I eat, watch my cholesterol level. It’s just a matter of keeping up, keeping up activity. It’s not hard for me to run, to me it’s routine. People think that running at 90 is quite an event, but to me it’s just routine I get up everyday and go out."

Shaw Local featured Diedrichs for his 55-year routine of running three miles each morning back in January. He's greeted by people from all over the city along his  route. 

Diedrichs happily accepted Mayor Haig Haleblian's invitation to come speak to members of City Council about his habits. He said he was an athlete for most of his life, but started running in his 30s. He said he used to be able to run 8-11 miles each day when he was competing in races and wanted to be in tip-top shape. Diedrich said up until his 70s he was able to keep a seven-minute-mile pace, but started to slow down when he hit his mid-80s. 

Diedrich told council he might miss about 3-4 days in a year, but bundles up to keep running when it's cold and sometimes delays the run during lightning storms. Haleblian admitted that he hoped he grew up to be just liked Diedrichs, who is about 20 years his senior. Diedrichs said he's encouraged by those who stop to say he inspires them, and hopes he can continue this for many more years to come.