Doctor, 90, Attempts Kilimanjaro Summit on His Birthday

A doctor who spent 23 years sharing health tips on NBC's Today show is now living out the ultimate example of his own advice. Dr. Art Ulene is attempting to become the oldest person ever to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, timing his climb to reach the peak on July 13, his 90th birthday.

This won't be Ulene's first rodeo on the African mountain. He and his wife Priscilla successfully summited the 19,341-foot peak in both 2011 and 2017, treating the climbs as adventures to check off their bucket list after his 1998 retirement.

In 2022, he tried again with his grandson but had to turn back at 17,000 feet due to concerning symptoms. Rather than letting that setback define him, he saw it as unfinished business.

The record attempt started almost as a joke when a friend asked about his next adventure. But Ulene realized he genuinely wanted to test his limits one more time, and the idea stuck.

His secret? He wasn't always an adventurer. Ulene didn't become physically active until his late 30s and 40s, and he never considered himself athletic or in great shape.

When he took up skiing in his mid-40s, staying fit became necessary to keep doing what he loved. That single decision created a domino effect that's kept him active for decades.

His current training regimen would humble people half his age. Six months ago, he could barely climb three flights of stairs, but now he tackles 50 flights three times weekly, plus five-mile walks and regular resistance training at the gym.

Between his retirement and 2020, the Ulenes visited 83 countries across all seven continents. They bought motorcycles and spent weekend mornings cruising the hills of Southern California, living proof that retirement doesn't mean slowing down.

Why This Inspires

Ulene's message cuts through all the noise about aging gracefully. He's not just talking about staying healthy in your golden years; he's literally climbing mountains to prove the point.

His philosophy is straightforward: how you live in your 30s, 40s, and 50s determines your health in your 70s, 80s, and 90s. The choices you make today echo for decades.

But here's the part that really matters. Ulene says it's never too early to start taking care of yourself, but it's also never too late. He calls himself living proof of that second statement, having transformed from sedentary to summit-ready well into middle age.

He's climbing this mountain to see how far he can go, but also to show other older adults that they can challenge their own limits instead of accepting the ones society assigns based on age.

Whether Ulene reaches the summit or not, he's already proven that the number on your birth certificate doesn't have to dictate the size of your dreams or the scope of your adventures.