At the age of 82, Dennis Lackey completed his first half marathon, the Philadelphia Half Marathon, in November.

"(Running is) good exercise," said Dennis. "All I need is shorts and a pair of shoes. I appreciate that I've been able to do it all these years. It gives me a good feeling to know I can still do it."

Dennis' passion for running didn't start until he was 40 years old, when his neighbor at the time suggested they start running together. Their first competitive race was the Red Rose Run in the summer of 1979, followed by the Millersville Turkey Trot in the fall. By 1993, Dennis had completed 39 races. After that, he had to take some time off because he was having some trouble with his knees, but he picked the sport up again in 2013. Ever since 2013, Dennis has had no issues with his knees and has added 48 more races to his track record, the most recent being the half marathon.

Not only did Dennis win first place in his age group of 80 and above at the half marathon, but he also beat the first-place winner from the 75 to 79 age group by 25 minutes. It was Dennis' son, Chris, who proposed the idea of registering for the half marathon with Dennis' grandchildren Ben and Anna. In 2015, Chris and Dennis completed the 10-mile Broad Street Run in Philadelphia in 2015. "He stayed with me the whole time," said Dennis.

Born and raised in Lancaster Township, Dennis now resides in York when he and his wife, Elizabeth, are not staying at their house in Florida. Between them, they have seven children, 15 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Dennis and Elizabeth plan to return to Florida later in December, where they will stay for about six months.

"Everyone's really proud of Dennis," stated Elizabeth. "He's such an inspiration for the kids."

One of Dennis' proudest moments was placing third in the Red Rose Run when he turned 50 years old. "That, to me, was something special," he commented.

For those who want to start running, Dennis recommends walking first and taking it a little bit at a time. When Dennis began running, he would slowly increase his distance as time progressed.

The Philadelphia Half Marathon does not mark the end of the road for Dennis' running efforts. He typically runs three 5Ks in Florida at the beginning of each year, and he said he hopes to complete them again in 2022.