SAN ANTONIO — There will be more than 20 thousand people running downtown San Antonio this weekend. While there will be representation from every state in the country, one of the most notable athletes is from San Antonio. His name is Moon Fahel.
Fahel consistently takes soft steps to reach big goals.
"Running to me is a task to be done, and I will do anything in my power to complete that task," he explained.
He's 85-years-old and will embrace a lengthy challenge this Sunday.
"Here I am, ready to run my fifth full marathon," he said.
The San Antonio Rock 'N' Roll Marathon will be Fahel's fifth marathon in five years. He was first introduced to the sport when he was 80.
"Instead of being a couch potato in retirement, I started going to the gym," he explained. "I had to find things to do."
The friends Fahel made at the gym introduced him to long-distance running. His first big run was a half-marathon in December 2013. Shortly after crossing the finish line, he decided to tackle the full 26.2 mile race.
Fahel regularly runs 20-25 miles a week to gear up for these events. That training is tough in itself - but Fahel has faced other big obstacles.
He's a three-time cancer survivor - and each bout with cancer happened shortly before a race.
Fahel was in remission while training for his first half-marathon. When running his second and third marathons a couple years later, he had undergone surgery to remove cancer a few months prior.
"I would rather drop dead on the running course rather than die in a hospital bed or hospice care. I have no plans to stop running," said Fahel.
Running is an individual sport, but Fahel has a full team of people supporting him. Not only have they designed his running uniform - they're his constant motivation.
"I start thinking about the pleasant events in my life, no matter what they are," he explained. "Whether it's about my family, the birth of my grandchildren, the graduation of my children, before I know it I'm in mile 22, 23 and I'm cruising to the finish line."
The Rock 'N' Roll marathon and half-marathon are Sunday, and the 5K and 10K races will be Saturday. The public is welcome to watch and cheer on runners like Fahel.
More information on the race can be found at https://www.runrocknroll.com/en/events/san-antonio.