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Meet the 85-year-old man who’s run every OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

By Grace Marocco

Posted May 3, 2024

Lausch looks at photos from previous marathons. (Max Rebolledo, WTIU/WFIU News)

For most people, running just one marathon is a big achievement.

But for 85-year-old Eugene Lausch, running in his 48th mini-marathon Saturday will be just another accomplishment.

The retired lawyer has run more OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathons than nearly everyone in the field. Of the approximate 200,000 runners, Lausch is one of only six who have participated every year since the marathon’s start in 1977.

It’s a hobby that came to him almost by accident.

“I desperately wanted to be an athlete when I was a boy and, like every Hoosier lad, I wanted to be a basketball player, but I don't have good hand-eye coordination,” Lausch said.

And since basketball requires a great deal of hand-eye coordination, he settled on running.

And, obviously, the hobby has stuck around.

As a student at Indiana Central University, now known as the University of Indianapolis, Lausch ran track. He went on to compete in the Indianapolis-Scarborough Peace Games and later coached track at the St. Richard Episcopal School in Indianapolis.

Lausch (Fourth from the left) lines up for a start during a practice run at Indiana Central University, now known as the University of Indianapolis. *(University of Indianapolis Archives)*

But his passion for marathons began in 1977, after being inspired by Olympian Frank Shorter. In the early seventies, Shorter became the first American runner in decades to win the Olympic marathon.

“That was an inspiration for a lot of people, including me,” Lausch said.

And 48 years later, he’s still going.

To keep fit, his regime is simple.

“I walk 23 miles a week,” he said. “Also, I do a considerable amount of outside activity and gardening that I think helps keep me fit.”

And even though Lausch is in better shape than most 85-year-olds, it hasn't always been easy.

In 2019, Laush was hit by a car while crossing the street.

“A car, which I never saw, knocked me down and broke my left hip,” Lausch said. “It was determined pretty quickly that my hip was fractured.”

The doctors told Lausch what he was already expecting, that he couldn't participate in the mini-marathon.

His ongoing streak would have been ruined if it were not for community members, including his granddaughter Claudia.

Several of the runners from St. Richard Episcopal School and Claudia pushed Lausch in a homemade cart for a portion of the mini-marathon that year.

“I must say that it's a bummer to have to be hit by a car and have your hip broken, but I was really buoyed up by the outpouring support,” Lausch said. “I think I really figured out what the Mini was all about.

“I don't think I really understood it before that it is less about winning. It's more about taking the assets you have and making the best of your circumstances.”

What was once a disaster turned into one of Lausch’s fondest memories associated with the marathon.

Lausch’s wife, Carolyn, and their two sons used to join him during the marathon. But now, Lausch runs by himself.

“I'm really happy about being able to continue to run, but I ended up not knowing very many people now who run the mini,” he said.

But even though he may not know everyone, people seem to know him. After his accident in 2019, several people came up to him to wish him well, he said.

“That was very heartening. I appreciated it a great deal,” Lausch said.

For now, Lausch will be walking the mini-marathon. He plans to continue to do it until he reaches 50 straight races in 2026.