Peachtree Road Race: 75-Year-Old Runner

Roy Wyatt has earned the right to hit the brakes and slow down a bit at the age of 75, but that doesn't mean he's going to.  Wyatt is preparing to run his 16th Peachtree Road Race.

"I go to the YMCA every morning at 5:00 a.m.," said Wyatt.

After having hip replacement surgery, Wyatt climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa with his son, Keith.

Wyatt has also run with the bulls in Spain.

"Running with the bulls was probably one of the dumbest things we've done, because it's very, very, very dangerous," said Wyatt. It was an adrenaline rush, until the bull caught us, that's when you start diving through the petitions."

One of Wyatt's favorite pastimes are polar bear swims. "That's where you jump in the coldest water you can find," said Wyatt.

Wyatt's wife, Lois said she will stick to riding motorcycles but her husband is game for anything.

"You can't sit him down to watch television because he doesn't sit that long," said Lois Wyatt.

When Roy Wyatt hit his 70's, arthritis in both hips started to slow him down.

Resurgens Orthopedics' Dr. David Covall recommended hip replacement surgery.

"Very painful, groin pain, couldn't lift up his leg," recalled Dr. Covall.

Roy Wyatt had his left hip replaced, then a couple of years later he had his right hip replaced. Suddenly, Wyatt said his pain was gone.

"I had two advantages, one, I'm young. And two, my weight was good," said Wyatt.

Dr. Covall said the more motivated and in shape a patient is, the better their recovery will be.

"If someone wants to do well, and they want to go home early, to leave the hospital, they do. If they want to stay in the hospital for a week, they tend to take longer and have complications," said Dr. David Covall.

To test out his new hips, Wyatt went for a bike ride. "From St. Augustine to San Diego," said Wyatt.

Wyatt said he'll never do that again, at least not by himself. "It's so boring out on a bicycle at 10 miles an hour, you see the same cow for five minutes," said Wyatt.

Fortunately, Wyatt will have a lot more company when he runs his 16th Peachtree Road Race on July 4. Wyatt has been training for the race by running up and down Stone Mountain.

"We run it the first time, walk the second time, run it the third time, walk in the fourth time. [It] makes for a total of about nine miles," said Wyatt.

Wyatt's next big quest will be to climb Mount Everest. It will cost him $65,000 just to try to climb the peak.

"Well, that's over the top," said Wyatt's wife.

"She says she's [going to] take out a $5 million life insurance policy on me and if I don't make it, adios! And if I do make it, she's [going to] divorce me because I blew $65,000!" said Wyatt.

Wyatt said as long as there are challenges to be had, he will find them.

"I always have something on the horizon, it's an age-defying thing," said Wyatt.