An 86-year-old great-grandfather conquered the grueling Grouse Grind this week. With a whole group there to support him, Gary Rombough climbed 800 metres over 2.5 km. The Langley, B.C., senior did the trail for the firsttime a year ago, but wanted to go back and beat his time. “I don’t quit,” he said. “I don’t quit.” This year, he shaved 18 minutes off, completing the trail in two hours and 20 minutes. “Remarkable when I think about it, but I had lots of people pulling and pushing,” he said after finishing the hike Sunday. One of those people helping him along was his granddaughter, Jessica Crosson. “It’s just truly an inspiration. Mind over matter. You’re only as young as you feel. And he keeps me young,” she laughed. “It was an amazing experience, really,” she said. It was also an emotional one, with Crosson and her grandfather hugging after they reached the end of the trail. She said she joined the hike in memory of her grandmother. “She’s very missed and it was great to do that together in her honor, and think of her,” she said, adding that they used to all go on adventures together. This isn’t the only challenge Rombough has taken on in his 80s. He was recently certified as a group fitness instructor. “I’m not the best student, but I persevere,” he said. Paula Valenca, who was taking the training with him, said after turning 50, she was wondering if she was too old to take the course. “When I saw Gary at the same class as me, I was super happy, and then I think of myself that, ‘Age is just a number,’” she said. “He’s really an inspiration,” Valenca added. Rombough credits his trainer, Shannon Whieldon, with getting him to where he is. “There’s a few people I know that are in wheelchairs or need a walker… and I just don’t’ want to go there so I started training,” he said. “I just want to prove to myself that I can keep going and be active. I want to be active into my 90s.”
