By Earl Grey
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Don Magee
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Like most everyone else, my New Year’s resolution is to get into shape. But this year I’m setting the bar even higher. I want to get into Don Magee shape.
“So many people say they have been motivated to start some kind of workout regime because of me.” Those were some of the first words Magee said to me, but I was sold before we even talked.
The Bloomington-Normal area of Illinois is home to State Farm Insurance and to Magee. That was until 1991 when he and his wife Florence packed up and moved to Lawrenceville so they could be near one of their two daughters and her children. The couple has since moved to Lilburn. Not long after moving to Georgia, however, Florence started battling arthritis. A doctor recommended exercise, so she and Don rose each day at the crack of dawn and headed to the gym. In spite of the fancy equipment that can be found in gyms these days, Magee kept things simple. All he needed was a spot on the floor where he could drop down and knock off a few push-ups. It’s not that Magee didn’t know his way around exercise equipment. A former linebacker at Illinois State, Magee kept himself pretty fit. But he took to push-ups like a kid takes to candy. One day at the gym he overheard some guys talking about former UGA star Herschel Walker, and how Walker used to do 2,000 push-ups per day. Magee was motivated. So he celebrated his 70th birthday by doing 2,000 push-ups, throwing in 10-more for good measure. That’s 70 years old!!! Here, let me spell that out for you: S-E-V-E-N-T-Y!
“Thirteen years ago I did 25,” Magee said. “And that was a struggle.” My, how times have changed. This past October, just over one week removed from his 74th birthday, Magee decided to up the ante. Over the span of 13-hours, Magee pushed his body off the floor 3,010 times. That’s 3,010 push-ups!!! Let me spell that out for you: T-H-R-E-E T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D T-E-N!
The day started by doing 600 push-ups at the gym. He took a short break, went home, and dropped to the floor again. “I hit the wall at 2,510,” Magee said. “So I went to the store, came back, and finished the next 500.” The next day he went out and played golf, saying he was just a little sore in his abdomen. Meanwhile, my arms are tired right now from typing this article.
While 3,010 push-ups in a single day is a staggering number, Magee is more proud of having done 210-consecutive push-ups, a feat he considers to be much more difficult.
“My next goal is to try and better that record,” Magee said.
On a near daily basis, Magee does anywhere from 300 to 700 push-ups. That was until November 16th of this year. Open heart surgery has a way of slowing you down. So Magee has taken to walking 3 to 5 miles a day. His doctor said Magee could resume doing push-ups in February.
“I want to say to people my age not to lie down,” Magee said, adding, “we can still do things – don’t give up on yourself.”
With the new year here, I’m going to push myself to be just like Don Magee. But I think his record of 3,010 push-ups is safe – I can’t count that high.
Earl Gray is a freelance writer. Send comments & suggestions to etg_3@hotmail.com.
