71-year-old Valley man plans to hike Triple Crown in 2019

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - Mike Fagan says hiking the Triple Crown trail has always been a top item on his bucket list.

"I thought, 'wow... that could really demonstrate what we're physically capable of doing as we age,'" he said.

At 71-years-old, he's not letting his age stand in the way of achieving his greatest physical feat yet.

"I know what to expect. I have no illusions about how difficult this is going to be," he said. "It's going to be very difficult, but the only things that you worry about is factors that you can't control. You can't control the weather. You can't control an injury and hopefully you can control bad judgment."

A lifelong passion for health and wellness and a fitness expert, Mike says he isn't nervous about hiking three of the longest trails in the nation.

Instead, he hopes the nearly 300-day hike will change the way people view aging.

"Fifty is not the new 30. Seventy is not the new 50. Fifty is 50. Seventy is 70. We cannot be defined by our age," said Alex Juarez of AARP of Arizona. "Mike is an incredible athlete. As we age, we have to stay active. We can't put barriers to ourselves saying, 'no we can't do this,' because we can do this. We can accomplish whatever goal we want, but we have to train for it. We have to work hard for it."

No matter the obstacle or trail (in this case), age has no limits.

Gold Canyon Heart and Home
https://www.gchh.org/