Sir Rod Stewart has spent more than six decades on stage, but now the 80-year-old music icon is chasing a new kind of spotlight—on the track.
In recent interviews, Stewart revealed that he’s been training to break the men’s 80+ 100m world record.
Best known for hits like Maggie May and Forever Young, the British singer has turned his attention to sprinting in his eighth decade, setting his sights on a feat that even seasoned masters athletes would find daunting.
“I got [my time] down to 19 seconds by learning how to push off,” Stewart said. “I’m going to try and do 17 seconds, which I think is a world record for an 80-year-old.”
The actual world record for the men’s 80–84 100m is 14.21 seconds, set by American Kenton Brown at the Nevada Senior Games in October 2024. Brown’s time, run into a -0.7 m/s headwind.
Still, Stewart’s ambitions put him in good company. The current British record in the M80 division is 15.16 seconds, held by veteran sprinter Tony Bowman. Reaching that level would still require the singer to drop four seconds off his best time, no small task at any age, let alone 80.
But Stewart isn’t exactly starting from scratch.
He’s long been known for his fitness habits, including years of recreational soccer and regular gym training. He even has a private running track at his Los Angeles estate, as well as a sprawling gym, indoor pool, and golf course.
“I keep myself very fit,” he said. “I played soccer all my life don’t play much anymore after a knee replacement but I’ve had the same trainer for 38 years. I’ve got a huge gym, an indoor pool, a golf course you name it.”
While celebrity endurance feats aren’t new, Will Ferrell has run marathons, and Gordon Ramsay has finished an Ironman, Stewart’s venture into competitive sprinting is far more specific. His goal isn’t just to complete a distance, but to run it fast enough to be one of the best in the world for his age group.
Whether or not he reaches 17 seconds or lines up at next year’s World Masters Championships in Daegu remains to be seen. But Stewart’s effort is already a win for visibility in the often-overlooked world of masters track and field. According to World Masters Athletics, participation in 70+ age divisions has steadily grown in recent years, bolstered by improved training knowledge and longer athlete lifespans.
And in an era when “slowing down” is often treated as inevitable, Stewart is offering an alternative message: even at 80, it’s still worth chasing personal bests.
