67-year-old getting ready for record-setting 50th Boston Marathon

BOSTON — A 67-year-old man has already crossed the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston 49 times and he’s aiming for one more.

"I can't seem to quit the habit,” said Bennet Beach.

Beach has been running the 26.2-mile course since 1968. He started running after hearing a radio commercial for it, in which it referenced the terrible weather in 1967.

“They were running in the sleet and I thought, ‘that is wacky thing to do,’ and I was drawn to a wacky thing like that and I said I was going to run that,” he said.

He has not stopped since, running every year for 49 years. In his heyday, he had some impressive personal records; his best time was two hours and 27 minutes. This year, he hopes to complete his 50th marathon and become the first person to ever run the marathon 50 times consecutively.

Beach's story is even more impressive after hearing he's been running the past 15 years with an extremely rare condition called dystonia -- where his brain has trouble communicating with certain muscles in one of his legs.

“If you were to see me run you'd say what a mess because my body is trying to compensate,” he said.

While he may run slower, he’s not slowing down, especially when the 50th medal is so close.

"I think I'll make it but boy it will be disappointing if I don't,” Beach said.

Even after he reaches the milestone and sets the records, he doesn’t plan on quitting.

“My plan has always been to run until I can't,” he said.

Cox Media Group