Paul Youd, an 87-year-old from Somerset, is aiming to complete 100 ultra-marathons before his 100th birthday. He has already finished over 25 races, including the 50km Thames Path Challenge in just over 12 hours.
Paul has been vegan for over 22 years, making the switch in his mid-60s for both ethical and health purposes. The new documentary: ITS POSSIBLE, a film-making project led by Martin Larsen-Jones follows Paul’s athletic pursuits whilst maintaining a compassionate lifestyle. Not only does he partake in these marathons, he challenges himself by adding 25 push-ups at each checkpoint.
His journey demonstrates the achievements that can be attained with a vegan lifestyle and challenges the false narrative of a plant-based diet restricting athletic ability. Indeed, Paul’s diet has likely contributed to his athletic achievement, being that “a plant-based diet is associated with benefits for biological aging and other health conditions, such as overall cardiac health”, as confirmed by clinical dieticians specialising in cardiology.
Read Paul’s full story at The Vegan Society and learn more about plant-based diets for athletes.