ASTANA – Famous Kazakh 70 year-old marathon runner Saltanat Tuitebayev has daily trainings in spite of his age. The athlete participates in marathons and often wins medals.
Recently, he ran 42 kilometres and 195 metres in the BI Marathon in Almaty and took the third place in the 70+ years old category. As of today, Tuitebayev is preparing for the same event in Astana, which will take place May 28 and calls on everybody to participate in the event.
“I was born in the Zhambyl region in the Moiynkum district on July 21, 1945. My parents didn’t understand my passion for sport. I was inspired by elder friends who studied in universities and lived in big cities. They came to our village and trained us. I started to play football and basketball at 11 years old,” Tuitebayev said, according to bi-group.kz.
“The Japanese say that every man should make at least 1,000 movements per day to be healthy. I am sure that if a man doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink alcohol and goes in for sports, he won’t be ill. My children are sportsmen too. My family and all my relatives greatly support me,” he added.
Tuitebayev said that he enjoys good health and runs semi-marathons on an everyday basis. He recommends beginners start with walking before moving to jogging and increasing speed on a step-by-step basis. Now, it is warm outside and the perfect time to start jogging.
“I am very happy that Astana has so many good places for jogging: parks, public gardens and school yards,” he said, adding that jogging doesn’t require expensive equipment or facilities. “Only snickers and jogging suit.”
