zip lining
Jade Small
Jade Small
September 5, 2023 ·  3 min read

The 106-year-old great-great-grandfather that broke a zip line world record

While many of us plan for cakes and presents on our birthdays, one 106-year-old man set higher goals. That’s right, while we are deciding on what kind of frosting we want, Jack Reynolds was choosing what World Record to smash. At the age of 106!

At the age of 102, Jack Reynolds entered the ice bucket challenge, wearing nothing more than a pair of underwear. According to Travel and Leisure, “at 104, he became the world’s oldest person to fly in a vintage 1930s Tiger Moth plane, and he also recently learned to rappel at a climbing facility hear his home.” When most people would consider life coming to an end at this point, Jack was just getting started.

Breaking a Zip Line World Record

Jack wasn’t new to breaking world records. He had been breaking them since he turned 104. It was at that point he decided he wanted to break a new world record every year for the rest of his life. When Jack Reynolds turned 104-years-old he chose to get a tattoo, making him the oldest person alive to get their first tattoo! What an accomplishment!

Jack Reynolds
Gerontology

Surprisingly, Jack wanted to continue breaking world records. One just wasn’t enough, he wanted to keep doing this for as long as he could. At the age of 105, Jack Reynolds broke another world record. He became the oldest person to ride a rollercoaster! Talk about a zest for life!

Jack Reynolds breaking a zipline world record
Jack Reynolds
Gerontology

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The very next year, Jack Reynolds had his sights set on something more extreme. Can you believe it? At the age of 106, Jack became the oldest person to ride a zip line. He broke the zip line world record! The legend zipped along a 400-meter (1,312 feet) wire hanging 60 meters (196 feet) above the ground. And he did this to raise money for the Stroke Association [1]. On his JustGiving page, Reynolds wrote, “It has become somewhat of a tradition that on my birthday I use my new age to help raise money for worthy charities.” Besides breaking world records, the act of charity made Jack the happiest. After coming to a stop, surrounded by his family, Jack gave a thumbs up and said “That speaks for itself,” wearing a wide smile [2].

The following year, when Jack turned 107, he broke another world record. Starring in the soap opera, Hollyoaks, he became the oldest living person to do so.

Jack Reynolds
Gerontology

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The Life of Jack Reynolds

Jack did things most of us could only dream of, and he did them with a smile and a heart of gold. His daily routines were classic, just like him.

Reynolds worked as a railway foreman for 40 years before retiring in 1975. He built a summer house at the age of 90. He enjoyed a shot of whiskey in his tea every morning and has a couple of shots of whiskey before going to bed. He frequently used his iPad to watch football, take pictures, and keep in touch with relatives.

Gerontology

Sadly, Jack passed away at the age of 108 on April 25, 2020. He was 19 days into his 108th year and had planned on setting another world record. To honor his memory and accomplishments, as well as his generosity and kindness, a street was named after him.

In February 2021, a pathway in Hollingwood was named “Jack Reynolds Way” in his memory. The signpost was officially unveiled on 6 April 2021, which would have been his 109th birthday.

Gerontology

We can only hope to live life to the fullest like Jack.

Keep Reading: At 10 years old, boy who spent two years growing his hair, donates it to make wigs for kids with cancer

Sources

  1. ‘Inspirational’ great-great grandfather celebrates his 106th birthday by riding a ZIP WIRE live on GMB – and viewers hail him as a ‘legend’.” Daily Mail. Molly Rose. April 6, 2018.
  2. Watch a 106-year-old Great-great-grandfather Break the World Record for Oldest Person to Ride a Zip Line.” Travel and Leisure. Karen I. Chen. April 10, 2018.