‘I'm Excited': Dallas Man, 84, to Run in Marathon Sunday

At the age of 84, James Thruston plans to run in the Dallas Marathon on Sunday and become the oldest person to ever compete in the race.

"I'm excited about it,” he said. “I've been training hard."

Thruston gets up every morning around 4 o'clock and works out even before running for miles around his home near White Rock Lake.

"What do I like about running? Everything!” he said. “I just feel good doing it."

Thruston has been running smaller races recently since he got over a nagging knee issue that left him sidelined for years.

When he runs on Sunday, it'll be his first marathon in about a quarter-century.

His goal? Not just to finish -- but finish competitively.

"This is going to be a test case,” he said. “I'm going to try to get in between 6:30 and seven hours."

Thruston knows all about running.

He organized races for years, including the Dallas Marathon.

He's run in about a dozen marathons over the years but never in Dallas.

"I'm addicted to it,” he said. “I don't know whether it's good or bad, but it's all I do."

As he runs the 26-mile course, he knows every other runner will be younger.

Most a lot younger.

But he said he'll have one thing on his mind.

"Have fun. That's what I'm going to do," Thruston said.

Thruston said he sees a doctor once a year just to get a physical and is in perfect health.

And he's already got plans after Dallas too.

"Yeah I'm already signed up for the Houston marathon in January,” he said.

After that, he plans on running the Fort Worth Cowtown marathon in February and hopes to one day run in the famous Boston marathon as well.

“I'm not trying to prove anything,” he said. “I'm doing it because I want to do it. I enjoy doing it."