Orville Rogers celebrates his 100th birthday with family.

To Celebrate His 100th Birthday, Grandpa Runs 100 Miles With Family - Awesome

A typical birthday celebration usually means being with family and close friends throwing a party - having fun and eating.

But for this centenarian who just turned 100, is somehow quite different.

Orville Rogers started running when he was 50 years old, and five decades later he's still into it.

Orville starts running when he’s 50 years old.

The Dallas man turned 100 Tuesday and had been celebrating for days. "I've been besieged today, and I'm enjoying it," he said.

The top point of his milestone was a memorable run with his entire family, which spans four generations. The group of 34 covered a combined total of 100 miles, with Orville joining on the last one.

"I can't describe it," he told when was asked how he felt afterward, surrounded by his loved ones. "I've been on a high now for quite some time. I've had about six or seven birthday cakes. I have one more party today and two more tomorrows. His phone just keeps ringing with well-wishers from across the country.

Mr. Roger’s showing his medals from joining marathons.

The World War II veteran was already a little famous, having earned 16 age-related race titles. He even has a Wikipedia page - way too cool!

But Mr. Rogers had never run a day in his life until he turned 50, when he read Dr. Kenneth Cooper's best-seller Aerobics. In the book, Dr. Cooper introduced a six-point plan for living longer by exercising, eating well, avoiding smoking, managing stress and getting yearly physical exams.Rogers began running the day after he finished the book.

"Exercise is good for a good life and a long life," he said. He started with a few miles a day, a few times a week. He added speed and distance over a period of years and began competing in marathons. When he ran his last marathon at age 72, he was racking up 75 to 80 miles a week, he said.

Roger’s is a World War II veteran and a pilot.

"I can't do that anymore," he said, laughing. He now runs three days a week, covering about two and a half miles during each outing.

His life has indeed been an interesting one. He joined the Army Air Corps five weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor and was trained as a pilot. He served in World War II without ever leaving the country, he said.

"I never got outside the United States," he said. "I was training other students to fly." He was recalled for the Korean conflict, and while stationed in Fort Worth, he learned to fly the massive B36 "Peacemaker," a strategic bomber built to carry nuclear weapons. It was capable of international flight without refueling.

Orville’s 100th birthday cake.

He also led a select crew within the Strategic Air Command during the Cold War. "My crew was prepared to drop an atomic bomb on the north side of Moscow if the war had been declared," he recalled. "I'm delighted that it didn't happen." He later flew and worked for Braniff until the airline went bankrupt in 1982.

Running 100 miles with his family.

He and his wife, Esther Beth, had four children and were married from 1943 until her death in 2008. They lost a son, Curtis, in the Vietnam War when he was flying South in Vietnam. Rogers has a total of 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

The secret to living a long life, he says, is firmly rooted in "my relationship with God," he said, adding, "I try to eat good food... and exercise. People who exercise live better and live longer."

“The more you live, the more today you see, the more yesterday’s you left and the more tomorrow you say! Only those who have lived long can best tell the regrets of yesterday, the lessons in today and the real reasons to ponder before you say and think of tomorrow!”

- Ernest Agyemang Yeboah