Sixty-five and still running backward, and more

Sixty-five and still running backward

A 65-year-old man is running backward from Los Angeles to San Francisco in a bid to inspire others to try something new. Hawaii-born Shadrack Anderson began the 483-mile feat in September, and expects to finish within the month. He has been running backward for 46 years, and has even completed several marathons that way. Anderson says he doesn’t let his age slow him down. “I do 300 percent more at 65 years young than I did at the age of 25,” he said. “The energy efficiency just keeps increasing.”

A record-breaking pumpkin

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As pumpkin season gets into full swing, a New England farmer has cultivated a record-breaking gourd the size of a small truck. Ron Wallace of Greene, R.I., presented a pumpkin weighing 2,009 pounds—just over one ton—at the annual Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts last week. The colossal pumpkin had to be hoisted onto a scale with a forklift, and easily beat the previous world record of 1,843 pounds. Wallace, who has been farming pumpkins for 20 years, said it had taken him seven years to build up the soil to grow the oversize pumpkin. “It’s a labor of love,” he said.

Greenberg's day with the Miami Marlins

Adam Greenberg has long been considered one of the unluckiest men in pro baseball. Struck on the head by the very first pitch of his big league debut, with the Chicago Cubs in 2005, Greenberg suffered from vertigo after his accident and never made it back into the majors—until this week, when the Miami Marlins signed the 31-year-old to a one-day contract so he could get one at-bat. Greenberg struck out in the sixth inning against the New York Mets, but received a standing ovation from the crowd and high-fives from his teammates. “It was magical,” he said afterward. “You could just feel the genuine support.”