Story thread · 2 reports / 1 sources

Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and the right to take your shirt off after 60

advocate.com · 3h · first reportShare

I turned 62 in June, and for the last several summers I’ve had the same ritual anxiety. As the days get shorter and my beloved sun starts to sink, and I gain another year, I ask myself: Is this the last summer I can run without my shirt? I’ve spent most of my life taking rigorous care of my body. These days that means 45 minutes of super-set lifting, and nine mile runs, at least five days a week. My shirt comes off as soon as the temperature hits 70. And, every year I brace for the moment someone looks at me and thinks, "Look at the old man running without a shirt." This summer, something surprising happened. Guys half my age, all under 40, started stopping me on my runs. Some of them I pass frequently, and in one case a 21-year-old started running next to me. They were guys who are genuinely serious about their fitness, the kind who look like they live at the gym. They all wanted to know my age. When I told them, I got everything from "you’re insane" to "I would’ve guessed 50" to "wow