Meet these inspirational Kelowna runners

Back in 1983, Bill Stephens and Mike Whitaker helped form what is now known as The Interior Running Association (IRA).

This year marks four decades of the organization and for Bill and Mike, both now in their early 80s, they’re still very much physically active.

The initial objective forty years ago was to make an organization and combine the races that each of the Interior cities put on to form the IRA Road Race Series. There would be nine races, from February to September, ranging between 5km to 21km.

Bill told Kelowna10, things looked a little different when they first began.

“The IRA had a lot of races, but it was small in those days. We had about 100 people in a race, and we had only age groups of 10 or 20-year intervals,” he explained. “I can remember we had a 60 plus class, and three people entered. Today we have an 80 plus class and have people who run in them.’

Mike said the culture of running has evolved since he arrived in Kelowna in 1968.

“It was my understanding that nobody ran except me, and I was regarded as a bit of a crank because I ran,” he jokes. “It took a couple of years and I met one other guy on the top of Knox Mountain. We started running together with a little group in the 1970s and by 1976 there were 20 of us.”

Fast forward to today and both men are still active: Mike still regularly runs, while Bill focuses more on cycling and cross-country skiing.

For the pair, they’re a source of inspiration to others and show they you can still be active, whether it’s going for a walk, or doing work in the garden.

“No one ran in their 70s when we started the IRA. There was only three people in their 60s who ran. The whole fitness thing has really made people much healthier at an older age,” Bill said. “By keeping fit for all your life as Mike and I have, we’ve easily ended up a lot healthier.”

“It’s a day-by-day thing. It doesn’t work for everybody, but it will work for half the population to do something on a regular basis,” Mike said. “And that might reduce your overall health bills. To help the provincial government’s costs,” (he said with a laugh).

The First race is February 12th in Lavington, BC; The Starting Block 10K.