Stewart said: “I keep myself very fit. I played soccer all my life – don’t so much any more, because I had a knee replacement. And I’ve always had a trainer – same guy for 38 years.”
He has also taken up running 100 metres on a private track at his huge estate to keep himself “very fit”, he said, and is now working on his speed, aiming to break a world record.
“I got it down to 19 seconds by learning how to push off,” he told AARP magazine. “I’m going to try and do 17 seconds, which I think is a world record for an 80-year-old.”
FOLLOWUP FROM CLEVELAND.Com:
by Tim Bielik tbielik@cleveland.com
A RACE FOR THE AGES
Hot legs: Rod Stewart, 80, vs. Stephen Robbins, 82 Why an 82-year-old Cleveland Heights sprinter wants to race a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer for $1 million. Rock legend Rod Stewart wants the title of fastest 80-year-old, but Cleveland Heights’ Stephen Robbins is saying not so fast, Sir Rod. cleveland.com photos When rock star Rod Stewart announced recently that he wants to set a world-record in the 100-meter dash for an 80-year-old, Cleveland Heights’ Stephen Robbins had a simple reaction. “Good luck,” Robbins, 82, said with a laugh during an interview with cleveland. com. Robbins would know. He’s one of the world’s fastest sprinters in his age group. He had the third-fastest recorded time among runners ages 80-84 in 2024 when he ran it in 14.49 seconds at the Cleveland Track Classic in Cleveland Heights in June. Only Kenton Brown (14.21) of Las Vegas and Akihiko Amanuma (14.47) of Kyoto, Japan, ran the 100 faster in 2024 than Robbins.
Now Robbins says he wants to challenge the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer to a 100-meter race, and says he is willing and able put up $1 million to go to the charity of the winner’s choice. He even says he is willing to give Stewart a 10-meter head start. “I’ve been doing masters track for 30 some years, and I know how much goes into being into the kind of shape to be competitive at the world level,” Robbins said. “And you just don’t pop out of nowhere.” RACE FOR THE AGES Robbins has been a runner since high school and earned a scholarship to the University of Arizona. He has been a masters runner for 30-plus years after retiring from teaching, and has won numerous age-group championships in the 100. Stewart, 80, who played for multiple English pro soccer clubs earlier in his life, told AARP’s Rob Tannenbaum in May that he has recently started running 100-meter sprints to keep his fitness up. “I got it 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.” Robbins has won many national and world titles and has kept himself among the best runners in his age division despite different medical issues, including hip surgery and prostate and bladder cancer. “I’m just trying to hold it together and try to maintain my flexibility, my balance, my cardio, trying to do the things that keep my body in shape,” Robbins said. “Competing like this gives you a goal. It gives you some reason to push yourself, because you know that there’s other people who are working out and they’re doing their thing.” Robbins knows it’s unlikely that he gets his race with Stewart — even with the money incentive — but he says he would love the chance. “If he did, it would be terrific exposure for the masters track program,” Robbins said. “I’d be happy. I think it’d be great. “Now I don’t know if he understands the injury factors. We’re always just a step away from getting hurt. But yeah, I’d jump at the opportunity to do this. I’d fly out to L.A. and do this.”