"Kokichi Akuzawa has become the oldest person to summit Mount Fuji at the age of 102 despite almost giving up during his trek. I was really tempted to give up halfway through, Akuzawa told the Associated Press. Reaching the summit was tough, but my friends encouraged me, and it turned out well. I managed to get through it because so many people supported me."
"Akuzawa spent three months training before the Fuji climb, waking at 5am for hour-long walks and tackling roughly one mountain each week, mostly around the Nagano prefecture in central Japan. Surrounded by relatives and framed paintings of mountains in his home in Maebashi, about 150 miles (241km) north-west of Tokyo, Akuzawa recalls what first drew him to the mountains 88 years ago. While the magic of reaching the summit is undeniable, it was the people who kept him coming back."
Kokichi Akuzawa, age 102, reached the summit of Mount Fuji on 5 August after camping two nights on the trail and climbing to 3,776 metres. The ascent included his 70-year-old daughter Motoe, his granddaughter, her husband and four friends from a local mountain climbing club. Guinness World Records recognised the achievement, matching Akuzawa’s previous record set at age 96. In the intervening years he overcame heart issues, shingles and stitches from a fall. He trained three months with daily early walks and weekly mountain climbs, and credited companionship and lifelong attraction to mountains as motivation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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