Sid Howard will take part in the Bermuda International Race Weekend 10K for an astonishing 29th time this Saturday.

The former American world age record holder for 800m is regarded as an honourary Bermudian runner these days on account of the extraordinary amount of times he has come back to compete in race weekend and the May 24 Marathon Derby.

Next month he celebrates his 69th birthday, but you wouldn't know that from looking at him - or from checking on his race times. Howard appears to have discovered the secret of everlasting youthfulness and will be taking part in the World Masters Athletics Championships in France in two months' time.

The New Jersey resident raced in the 1977 event and from 1979 onwards has taken part in race weekend every year except 1997 when his wife passed away.

He has made friends and rubbed shoulders with generations of athletes in Bermuda, including Ray Swan, Jim Butterfield, Kavin Smith, Ed Sherlock, Mike Whalley and even raced against the Bermudian legend 'Sir' Stanley Burgess.

He has just returned from an 18-day vacation in Bolivia, where he was living at an altitude of 6,000m which made training extremely difficult in the rarified air.

"I was running 12-minute miles. I met a Kenyan runner call Nahashon Gitau Mwaniki who was training up there and he said it took him 30 days to aclimatise," said Howard.

He isn't sure if the high altitude experience will benefit his performance this Saturday, but Howard, who also helps the organisers on Friday giving out race packs and numbers, is happy to be back on the Island he considers his second home. He is looking forward to reacquainting himself with many of his friends in the running community.

Of his youthfulness, Howard said: "It's from coming here to Bermuda every year. It's the water, the sunshine, the land and the people. I'm so looking forward to seeing all my friends again."

In 1999 Howard set a best of 2.14.75 for 800m, which was a world record for an athlete aged 60-64. The record has subsequently been broken by 300th of a second. However, Howard continues to hold a number of USA age records.

In last year's May 24 Marathon Derby he was given a race number - a rare honour for a non-Bermuda resident - in recognition of his contribution to running in Bermuda. Howard had previously taken part without a race number because of the off-Island exclusion rule, ducking out of the race before the finishing chute. However, he finally got a coveted May 24 medal after a popular gesture by the race committee that underlined Howard's unique place in Bermuda road running.