Mokena Octogenarian Inspired To Reach Milestones One Mile At A Time

MOKENA, IL — Tom Sullivan has never been one to boast, but when you have walked what equates to traveling around the earth on foot in just more than two decades of life that is pushing nine, a little bit of notoriety is certain to follow.

More than a month has passed since the 87-year-old Mokena resident and former Southland Catholic school teacher and guidance counselor surpassed the 25,000-mile mark of a journey that originally started as a challenge to walk 1,000 miles in 2000 as a way to ring in the new millennium.

Sullivan admits that he never figured he would cover the first 1,000 or even reach 5,000 miles when he first set out on his quest to walk every day he possibly could. But when Sullivan covered the first 1,000 miles by Thanksgiving of 2000— more than two months ahead of schedule, he decided to just keep going.

Now, 22 years later, a man who still goes to work every day as a financial planner has no plans on slowing down and has now set his sights on 30,000 miles — no matter what other people his age may be doing with their time.

You see, to Sullivan age is just a number. He won’t be foolish or imprudent about things, but if he’s going to be alive, Sullivan wants to make the most of every day he is given.

“I don’t want to sit around and pick my nose,” Sullivan told Patch on Wednesday. “It just seems to me that a lot of people hit an age and they just sit around and wait to die. To me, that’s not too appealing. If I’m going to go, I want to go with my shoes on.”

After Sullivan reached the 20,000-mile marker at age 82, Judy, his wife of 45 years encouraged him to take the next step. But Judy's words of encouragement shortly before her death, proved to be the extra motivation Sullivan needed.

Sullivan has always considered himself active and his friends have always known him to enjoy a good brisk walk. But as he got older and many around him were starting to slow down, Judy's challenge became the new standard by which Sullivan measured himself.

“She said you ought to go for 25,000 (miles) so you can tell your friends you walked around the earth,” Sullivan said Wednesday. “All they would say is, ‘Who cares?’ You can tell what kind of friends I have.”

Sullivan, who moved in with his son and daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren five years ago after living in Oak Lawn for 40 years, often walks alone. What began as early-morning, hour-long walks have transitioned to walks that go from late morning to early afternoon, lasting up to 90 minutes.

Sullivan, a devout Catholic, often prays the Rosary while he walks, expressing thanksgiving for a new day and an opportunity to commune with nature while just appreciating the fact he is still moving forward.

He will either walk along the Old Plank Trail at the Hickory Forest Preserve. When the weather doesn’t allow for outdoor walking, Sullivan gets his steps in at The Oaks, an indoor facility where he can walk around a track for free to continue charting more miles even when the weather outdoors gets too cold to bear.

In addition to his daily walks, Sullivan also a mile on a stationary bike that is set up in the bedroom of his son’s home. He bikes a mile in about 21 minutes and adds the biking to his daily exercise routine which has helped to keep him healthy over the years.

His secret to staying healthy is a simple one: He eats right, exercises, and keeps his mind sharp by attending to the clients he has in his financial advising business — many of whom are former students from his time as a teacher and guidance counselor.

Sullivan’s Fitbit faithfully records between 25 and 30 miles of walking a week — all of which gets added to the impressive totals that Sullivan has racked up over more than the past two decades. Sullivan charts his progress on calendars that serve as a record book for his walking accomplishments.

He is also active on Facebook, the online social media platform he uses to communicate with former students and his friends. He says he doesn’t like talking too much about the distance his feet have carried him since 2000, but also wants to inspire others to keep moving.

He understands that some people may experience health issues that don’t allow them to be active, but he also preaches that if people — no matter their age — are able, they should get out and move.

“There’s no reason why they should sit around and watch TV,” Sullivan said. “I just think people would live a lot happier life if they would be active.”

Sullivan wants others to look at what he has done not in a way that brings attention to the octogenarian, but instead, to consider what their life would be life could be like if they just chose to make the most of it.

In the past five years, Sullivan has overcome a torn quadricep muscle, and a torn meniscus and has had his right knee replaced. He visits his doctor once a year just to make sure his health is where it should be, but no matter the obstacles, Sullivan won’t let anything keep him from moving.

With 25,000 miles under his belt, Sullivan is now determined to hit 30,000 miles, God willing. He has no promises of making the next milestone, but he's sure not going to quit now. Despite the ground he has covered since his journey started, Sullivan will never be one to take anything for granted.

“Look at me, every day is a new day for me,” Sullivan told Patch. “I’m blessed.”

He added: “You never know how things are going to go, but the farther I went, the easier it got…I’m just the kind of guy who has to get up and do something."

And for that, Sullivan knows, Judy would be proud. After all, she's the one that pushed him to keep going. No matter what his friends say.