88-Year-Old Mattapoisett Man Completes 30-Year Journey This Weekend
Back in 1988, Brad Hathaway from Mattapoisett got some tough news from his cardiologist. After being diagnosed with diabetes and having some heart problems at the age of 56, his doctor told him that he needed to start walking three miles a day, "or you're not going to last very long."
Hathaway promptly took his doctor's advice and not only starting walking each day, but he made sure to keep a log of each of his walks. His hope was to log enough miles to walk clear across the globe – 24,901 miles to be exact. He said he never would have dreamed that he'd ever end up walking that many miles, but it is almost certain to happen.
On Saturday, the 88-year-old will leave his Aucoot Road home and walk his final mile to reach his goal.
"I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be able to make that at my age and dealing with the health problems I face," said Hathaway.
The Mattapoisett Land Trust is planning a celebration in his honor when Hathaway finishes his walk on Saturday morning. He's expected to begin the first step of his last mile at 10 a.m. exactly one mile from his Aucoot Road home at the intersection of Bowman Road. Hathaway and his supporters will be walking for the Mattapoisett Land Trust.
"Many, many people around the world have walked much farther than I, but they never kept track from day to day, so they had no idea that they had done it," Hathaway told Michael and Maddie. He wanted to encourage young listeners to stay active and to keep their bodies moving.
Hathaway wanted to make it very clear that the 24,901 miles is the distance to walk around the world at the equator. He said that he has already walked the distance around the world from pole to pole.
Yup, walking around the world is old news for this 88-year-old.