Episode 27 - Ray Mena | 5,000 Miles, 147 Races, 70, Beginning Again

In this episode of Run Long After 60, I sit down with Ray Mena — a 70-year-old athlete from Long Beach, California, who started running at 45 and never stopped pushing.

Ray's story is one of the most layered I've heard.

He didn't move through phases — marathons, then triathlon, then trail. He stacked them. Simultaneously. For years. Sub-3 marathons. Ironman. Leadville 100. Wasatch 100. Zion 100. Nearly 5,000 miles and 147 races across roads, trails, and open water.

And then the body started talking back.

A ski injury in his 20s had quietly taken his ACL. For decades it didn't matter — his strength covered for it. But 25 years of running eventually found the weakness. Three arthroscopic surgeries later, with nothing left to clean up, he made the decision he'd been putting off.

At 70 years old, Ray had a full knee replacement.

He joined me just 53 days post-surgery — walking, rebuilding, and already thinking about what comes next.

We talk about:

• Starting running at 45 as a bodybuilder who hated cardio

• Running marathons, Ironman, and trail ultras all at the same time

• What it took to finish Leadville 100 with no crew, no pacer, and 11 minutes to spare

• Hallucinating faces at mile 40 of Wasatch 100

• How the body narrows your options — and why that's not the end

• Three arthroscopic surgeries, bone-on-bone running, and the knee replacement decision

• What recovery actually looks like 53 days in

• Why trail running became his church

• What 25 years of movement means to him now

Ray's story is about what happens when competitive fire meets a body that's asking for something different — and how you find your footing again when everything has to be rebuilt from scratch.

He's not starting over as a beginner.

He's starting over with 25 years of experience behind him.

That's a very different thing.

Run Long After 60 is a video-first podcast focused on running after 60, ultrarunning, longevity, and staying active later in life. If you'd like to watch the full conversation, you can find the video version on the Run Long After 60 YouTube channel.

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📍 Hosted by Mark Vega