We Are Superman

Founded by David Clark, a former 320-pound alcoholic, drug addict, food junkie turned accomplished endurance athlete, bestselling author, plant-based fighter, and happiness warrior. Ultramarathoner and coach Bill Stahl is continuing David's legacy to bring you inspirational stories of ordinary people overcoming alcoholism, addiction, obesity, or catastrophic injuries or illnesses to accomplish epic achievements like running ultramarathons, climbing Everest, etc. We also bring you world-class athletes and others involved in the endurance sports space, medical providers, and others who can help you up your own game in athletics as well as in life so you feel, look, and perform better. As David said, we will help you look into the far side of the universe where anything is possible and all things are eventual.

All Episodes

We Are Superman

#390 - We Are Doug Bell Still Running Fast After All These Years

July 15, 2026 • Season 10 • Episode 21

0:00 | 1:40:51

Send us Fan Mail

I think most of us who run dream of running forever. I sure do. And of course with no achy knees, no sore back, just keep moving. But how about staying on top of the game for decades, still running past retirement age, and still excelling? That would be Doug Bell of Greeley, Colo. Doug, a 2013 Colorado Running Hall of Fame inductee won the Denver Marathon three times in the 1980s and placed first among 75-year-olds at this year’s Bolder Boulder 10K. How’s that for a spread of years? For decades, when other runners saw that Doug was entered in a race, they knew that the competition in that age group was for second place, because Doug was already a cinch for the top spot. Along the way, he set masters’ national records in the 5K with a 14:36 up to the 25K. Just to throw out a few other notable times over his career, he ran a 15:53 5K at age 56, a 17:11 at 60, and an 18:47 at 65. In the mile, he zoomed to a 6:02 clocking at age 72, and last year ran a 6:25 mile at 74 in 92o heat. The Bolder Boulder with it’s nearly 50,000 runners does one-year age groups, and Doug has won his at least 15 times. These days, Doug has found new energy competing with the Boulder Road Runners racing teams, traveling all over the country to spar with other clubs. As you can hear in this episode, his spark for the sport has never waned and his roots in it run deep. He owned an independent running store in Greeley, Bell’s Running, for 30 years, and has coached at Greeley Central H.S. Doug has some terrific stories to tell about competing against some of the greats, as well as how to maintain high performance for literally decades, so if you want to keep running strong for the rest of your life, have a listen to Doug.

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook and LinkedIn Bill Stahl
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @coachstahl
YouTube We Are Superman Podcast

Subscribe to our Substack for my archive of articles of coaching tips developed from my more than three decades of experience, wild and funny stories from my long coaching career, the wit and wisdom of David, and highlights of some of the best WASP episodes from the past that I feel are worthwhile giving another listen.

Search either We Are Superman Podcast or @billstahl8