What Makes Olga Run? The Mystery of the 90-Something Track Star and What She Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Happier Lives

In this exhilarating book on longevity, freelance journalist Grierson (U-Turn) masterfully combines the latest studies with the story of the great nonagenarian athlete Olga Kotelko—and of himself, a great middle-aged couch potato. Kotelko took up track and field when she was 77 and keeps running strong, and this work is rife with intriguing reasons why. Exercise is Longevity, Rule One. We should probably alternate "aerobic" with "resistance" activity, says Grierson, as this mirrors our paleopast dodging tigers and digging for tubers. Another rule: be a mensch, translated from Yiddish into English as a person of integrity. It was an evolutionary plus to be one—and a clear health gain now. Grierson, no slouch as a writer, consults top scientists. His deft re-creation of the moving and humorous bond between Kotelko and himself gives the book its center. Proof of gains from physical and mental stimulation—neuron growth, cognitive boosts—mount daily. Grierson joyously pursues claims both silly and divine. (Travel spurs longevity; "incredisocks" don't.) The prose can boil over. "The minor miracle here is, you can introduce exercise at any point, right up into very old age, and 'completely reverse any decline you've had,'" he writes. No, not "any" decline. But proper context prevails.