A 72-year-old participant in last year’s Iditarod sled dog race has revealed the secret to his success – camaraderie.

Ken Thomson told Cleveland Live he enjoys the bond the Oatmeal Milers group share, which has a combined age of over 365.

"It’s a friendly kind of thing and generally since older runners can’t keep up with younger runners, we get to know each other," he said.

Although he tackled the Alaska sled dog event alone, he told the news provider of plans for taking on the Akron Marathon this Saturday (September 26th) with his pals in tow.

He explained he was a late-starter with competitive sports, stating he was a "horrible specimen" at the age of 52.

After medical staff encouraged him to get into shape, he decided to tackle events such as the Iditarod.

Next year’s annual race kicks off on March 6th in Anchorage and is due to culminate on March 21st with an awards dinner.