BOSTON (WHDH) - An 80-year-old man running the Boston Marathon on Monday is defying the odds after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 22 years ago.
He says a unique boxing program for patients made a major impact on his life and led to him running his seventh marathon.
Steve Gilbert says his diagnosis changed his life.
“At the time I wasn’t athletic, I had never thought of myself as an athlete,” he said.
But he joined a program called Rock Steady Boxing Boston, which works with people with Parkinson’s to build strength.
“Strength and endurance and core strength and balance and al those things that a person with Parkinson’s needs,” he said.
The training sessions introduced Gilbert to running, which led to him running his first marathon.
“I’m convinced that it hasn’t progressed as far as it would have if I hadn’t been running,” Gilbert said of the disease and his decision to join the boxing program.
“It’s physical, of course, but it’s also mental and it’s also spiritual — I’m blessed to be able to do this at 80, regardless of whether I have Parkinson’s,” he added.
Gilbert is running tomorrow for a cause that’s close to his heart, Red Tulip for Parkinson’s Awareness.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)