—Jack Rabbit Johannsen was a skier. He can be credited, in fact, for bringing the sport to the U.S. and Canada. As a boy in Norway he competed in downhill, cross-country and jumping. His lifetime of skiing accomplishments put him in the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.
—Although he was a pioneer in downhill skiing as well, his strong preference was for what we now call Nordic skiing. He pioneered hundreds of miles of trails in eastern Canada. Most remarkable, he kept doing it almost until his death at age 111. At 92 he completed a 190k cross country ski marathon with his family. I first saw a picture of him skiing at the age of 106.
—His genes accounted for his longevity, certainly. But his long miles of trail skiing, even at an advanced age, must have left his heart and lungs in great condition. I don’t know how he stayed in shape in the summer. I would like to think he was a runner, but the truth is, there were very few recreational runners only a few decades ago.
—There is little doubt that cross-country skiing, which uses the legs and the upper body, is better aerobic exercise than running. Unfortunately, it requires snow, and compared to running it is equipment intensive.
—We can run whether it snows or not, and just about any time and place. That’s an advantage. What Jack Rabbit teaches us though, is that age is no excuse for not working out. In fact if we desire longer lives with better quality of life as we age, we should keep cross-country skiing. Or running.

—A great article about Jack Rabbit Johannsen (1875-1987) is at
http://laurentian.quebecheritageweb.com/article_details.aspx?

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