RICHMOND, Va. — Larry Reynolds is preparing to run his 10th Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k, a milestone for the 84-year-old who credits the sport with saving his life twice.
Reynolds started running at the age of 52 to be proactive about his health after seeing his family's history of heart issues.
"My father died of congestive heart failure at 64 years old," Reynolds said. "1991, I was 50 and I started thinking about that because both of his parents died in their early 70s of congestive heart failure. I said, 'I don't want to follow that path.'"
It is a hobby that not only improved the 84-year-old's health but ultimately saved his life. Almost a decade ago, Reynolds went to the doctor after experiencing heart pains while training for a 10k.
"Ended up getting a stent, no damage," Reynolds recalled. "No damage and because I was in such good physical shape," Reynolds said.
Then, in 2024, Reynolds fainted while training on a treadmill for the 2025 Monument Avenue 10k.
"I'm lying on my stomach on the treadmill, which is still running and it's taking skin right off my shins and my knees," Reynolds said.
That scare led doctors to give him a heart monitor.
"The phone rings at 4 o'clock in the morning and it was a monitoring company," Reynolds said. "Patricia answered the phone and said, 'He just had a cardiac event. He needs to get to the ER.'"
The device showed Reynolds that his heart had completely stopped beating twice and that he would need a pacemaker. Even then, Reynolds said he felt a sense of peace.
"I wasn't even worried. A little concerned, I guess, more from the unknown," Reynolds said. "I have a positive mental attitude, always have had, you know, everything's gonna be fine."
Months of recovery and a sheer determination to live life to its fullest have motivated Reynolds to keep running.
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"Having a running program, I think really saved my life," Reynolds, who will be 85 in December, said. "So I'm glad I ran, I'm glad I'm still running and I'm running on the 18th — and I'll do my 20K probably Saturday."
Reynolds will be at the starting line when the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k kicks off Saturday, April 18.
When asked how he continues to push forward, Reynolds points to his mindset.
"How are you able to do all this? I said, 'I don't let the old man in.' And that's basically it. It's all up here," Reynolds said. "I feel like I'm not getting old. I don't let myself get old."
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