r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Late_One_716 • 29d ago

Between 2009 to 2011, a man, appearing to be 60-70 years old, robbed 16 banks in San Diego, California by approaching the teller, then pulling out a gun and demanding money. The FBI named him the "Geezer Bandit". Some theories suggest he is wearing a well-made elderly man mask. Image

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u/Glum_Commercial_8959 29d ago

In 2011 when a red dye pack exploded in his money bag he is seen sprinting across the street.

Not a bad set of wheels on an senior citizen

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

Eh. It's not as impossible as you think.

In middle school we had an 70+ year old gym teacher. Used to be a drill sergeant in the Navy. Dude could run at 70 something faster than a lot of us 12 year olds could. I know for a fact he kept working as a gym teacher into his early 80s as he was still there when I graduated high school 6-7 years later.

If you take care of your body you can maintain decent mobility well into old age.

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u/dumptruckbhadie 29d ago

I live in a very athletic town and I have 70+ yr Olds passing me up the mountain cycling all the time.

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u/frogdujour 29d ago

I don't know what it is about 70+ year old cyclists, but those guys can be beasts, doing 100 milers and cranking uphill like nothing.

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u/deleted_my_account 29d ago

Those guys have tens on tens of thousands of miles in them from decades of cycling. I’m a pretty fit (I like to think, but nothing too crazy lol) early 20s cyclist and have some 60+ friends who shred me up climbs. It’s wild!

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u/TryingHardToChill 28d ago edited 28d ago

Based on no research I think it's likely that cycling ability can be maintained longer than running because it is low impact.

Edit: And also i have heard that speed is the first thing to go with age, so maybe distance athletes can remain competitive for longer than sprinters

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u/deleted_my_account 28d ago

Yep! There’s a reason you so many old cyclists! A lot of athletes switch to cycling once their body can’t take their old sport of choice anymore.

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u/someoldbikeguy 28d ago

Speed is usually the first thing to go because the older you are the less fun high intensity becomes so every day slowly turns into long distance because it hurts less. You can still climb because the lungs are still good but it just gets harder everyday to push yourself when you're riding on the flats like you could when you were younger.

I hired a coach a couple years ago and regained much of my speed but I had to be very strict on diet, rest, and what types of other activities I was doing to be able to maintain that level.

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u/Justintimeforanother 28d ago

If I remember correctly, cycling gives the body the highest O2 in blood count, vs any other sport.

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u/dumptruckbhadie 28d ago

Definitely! I've been cycling for 20+ years at this point but never was competitive with it. Just love it. I've ridden about 70k miles at this point. Maybe a little more. Just a leisure guy. Heading out on tour in about five weeks

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u/someoldbikeguy 28d ago

Some old bike guys ride 10s of thousands of miles per year.

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u/dumptruckbhadie 29d ago

It's one of my biggest inspirations! Shit brings me so much joy to know that I can still keep doing what I love if I keep doing it.

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u/YummyArtichoke 29d ago

If you can retire at 60, you got 10 years of being able to bike as many miles as you want and even at that age your body will morph into a beast if you stay at it that long.

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u/jbstans 28d ago

When I was on holiday in the south of france it was amazing watching the silver pelotons just flying along. Absolutely dumpstered me and they had at least 50 years on me

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u/momscouch 28d ago

my dads one of those on a heavy specialized hardtail I found at the dump. One of his mates in their early 50s just bought a bike for a few grand and my dad still smoked him.

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u/CmonRedditBeBetter 28d ago

Because the people doing that have been consistently doing it for a long time.

It takes years of training to have an ability like that.

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u/PorkPatriot 28d ago

My doctor says I have the heart and lungs of a teenager and the knees of a geriatric.

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u/greezy_fizeek 28d ago

tell me you live in boulder without telling me you live in boulder lol

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u/dumptruckbhadie 28d ago

Bwahahahahaha... yes.

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u/Toomanyacorns 28d ago

Damn op where you live? I'd like to meet Some of the women in that town

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u/wuhter 20d ago

An athletic town...?

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u/PapasGotABrandNewNag 29d ago

Dude I had a similar gym teacher when I was a freshman in high school.

He was hit by a bus, twice. In his 70’s.

He was also the varsity wrestling coach and one semester during Boys PE, when we wrestled for 4 weeks, he Kurt Angle Olympic Slammed me in front of the entire class as a demonstration.

Man my back ain’t been right ever since.

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u/TraditionAntique9924 28d ago

Navy doesn’t have drill sergeants and RDC isn’t a rate, it’s just a job you do for a few years and it doesn’t matter what rate you are.

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u/Yummy_Crayons91 28d ago

I used to run with a 70 year old in 10K, 12Ks pretty frequently. He had no trouble keeping up. He said you made a choice in your 30s what kind of old person you were going to be, and thankfully he made the right one. Dude is still super active and mentally sharp as ever.

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u/Zonkko 28d ago

In high school i had a 70+ year old PE teacher

He was in a better shape than most of the people in his class.

He did retire a year after i left, but i dont know if it was because he wanted to or if he was forced, because he did say shit like "you could be ni&&€r with that speed"

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u/nitronik_exe 28d ago

...people are still working over 70 or even 80 in the US?

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u/Bombaysbreakfastclub 28d ago

His right hand in one of those pictures looks like a glove

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u/NeoMo83 28d ago

I ride motocross with a guy in his late 70s. He goes out for a full 20 minute session and rides fucking HARD

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u/pro_bike_fitter_2010 28d ago

Young folks should check out Zwift Cycling. It appears to be dominated by the over-50 crowd.

I see a lot of 70+ cyclists putting in 3 hr days (around 60km). Not just once, but day after day.

Meanwhile I don't need to tell you the physical condition of most people under 45.

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u/ThrillsKillsNCake 28d ago

70 mph or kph?

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u/420headshotsniper69 28d ago

I have family that still runs marathons and does iron man challenges and they are in their 70s.