'Star Trek' icon George Takei reflects on end of his marathon days

George Takei has revealed he has been forced to give up running at age 88 following foot surgery, marking the end of a decades-long passion for marathon racing.

The Star Trek veteran told The Guardian that while he has long believed in discipline and healthy living, often quoting the franchise’s famous line to “live long and prosper,” recent surgery has prompted him to rethink his fitness routine.

“I was a marathoner. I started in my 40s, my husband, Brad, trained me, and I’ve done six in total,” Takei said. 

“The last was the London Marathon in 1991. London’s one of my favourite cities. You have to run over cobbles, so it was horrible on the ankles. I ended up aching all over, leaning on buildings for support.”

Though he stopped running full marathons after that “punishing” race, Takei remained active for years. Now, recovering from foot surgery, he admits it may be time to fully step away from 26.2-mile races. 

“I recently had surgery on my foot, so I think that is life teaching me not to engage in any more crazy 26.2-mile runs for a while,” he said.

In a previous blog post, Takei reflected candidly on aging and accepting physical limits. “I can’t run 26.2 miles anymore. My days of running marathons are over,” he wrote, adding that he still cherishes the camaraderie and shared lessons from long-distance training.

He also compared marathon running to his enduring acting career, describing the concept of a runner’s “second wind,” that unexpected surge of energy late in a race. Takei noted that a similar momentum has fueled his professional life in recent years, with projects picking up pace “to warp speed.”