85-year-old man breaks world marathon record

Many people never run marathons, let alone break marathon records. Ed Whitlock is not "many people."

The 85-year-old Canadian man broke a world record during the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday; he ran the fastest in the 85-90 age category.

Whitlock ran the marathon in 3 hours, 56 minutes -- smashing the previous record of 4 hours, 34 minutes. Whitlock is known as "The Master," and certainly lives up to his name.

PHOTOS: See Whitlock in action

The singlet he ran in is 30 years old, while his sneakers are 15 years old. "They're well-aged," he joked in a post-race press conference.

He did not race last year due to problems with his knees. "Somehow on occasion I get running in a long groove and they flare up and start to hurt," he said. "The only thing I can do that seems to get rid of it is to take a rest."

Whether he'll be able to break his own record, Whitlock is uncertain. "I don't want to disgrace myself, I suppose," he said, laughing. Seeing as he currently holds 36 world records, disgrace is not at all likely.