88-year old Colorado resident and vegan Fred Distelhorst may have set a new record for being the oldest man to have climbed 5,895 meter tall Mount Kilimanjaro.
What is the secret to his success? Well, this dentist gives credit to his vegan lifestyle, stating, “I think I’m in pretty good shape even though I’m a little old guy.”
It all started when he received a phone call from his 22-year old granddaughter, Ellen Edgerton, asking if he would like to climb Kilimanjaro with her. After getting approved by the doctor, the next thing Distelhorst knew was that he had made it all the way to the other side of the world, climbing Africa’s tallest mountain.
“It’s worth the view. The skies were clear blue but it was a bit tedious and boring,” he said. He impressively managed with only needing oxygen on the final walk back down.
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Edgerton reached out to her grandfather after having started a Go Fund Me campaign, hoping to raise enough money to build housing for boys in Kenya who have been affected by AIDS. She wanted to climb with a good cause in mind.
“I figured, let’s climb for a purpose instead of just a hobby,” she said.
Distelhorst’s amazing accomplishment is currently being reviewed by Guinness World Records to see if he broke the record of being the oldest man to have climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
#worldrecord #inspiring
