At 90, John Durning still chases the long jump like a man half his age, and his friends in Havertown have dubbed him “Superman.” 

The Irish immigrant, Army veteran, longtime coach, and lifelong athlete returned to the Delaware County Senior Games this year with a full slate ahead of him: seven track and field events spanning sprints, throws, a race walk, and the long jump he loves most.  

As Becca O’Reilly reports for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the medals have piled up to 230, a number most athletes never approach. 

The story behind the hardware stretches back to Donegal, Ireland, where Durning was born in 1935.  

He arrived in the United States in his early 20s, figuring he’d work a few years and head home.  

But the military had other plans.

Drafted soon after, he became a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne and competed on the service’s soccer and track teams, the first hint that the medals would keep coming. 

After the military, he put down roots with his late wife, Helen, working night shifts and spending decades shaping young athletes.  

He helped found the Haverford Soccer Club and coached at Malvern Prep, Waldron Mercy Academy, and the Haverford School. 

His formula for staying in the game is simple: stretch every morning, walk most evenings, dance often, skip the alcohol and cigarettes, and never quit his physical therapy.  

Through it all, friends say, he’s stayed a gentleman first; the medals just happen to prove a life kept in motion. 

“I say you’ll never, ever be too old,” he said. “If you want something, as long as you’re healthy enough to do it, you should be doing it.” 

The Philadelphia Inquirer has the full story behind those 230 medals, including the active lifestyle that’s earned him his nickname and his athletic involvement in his community. 

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