STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Charley French didn’t feel any different when he woke up on Monday, Aug. 3.

But it was a milestone for the Ketchum innovator and athlete. He was officially a centenarian, one of roughly 100,000 Americans—or 0.03 percent of the population--who have made it to the century mark.

For men who reach 65, the odds of hitting 100 are less than 3 percent; for women, less than 6 percent.

Charley French has accompanied Muffy Ritz on adventures to the Galapagos and Hawaii, as well as countless World Master Nordic Championship trips.

On Aug. 3, 1926—the day French was born in St. Louis, Mo., Calvin Coolidge was president. Only half of American homes had electricity so food was kept in iceboxes kept cold by ice deliveries.

Calvin Coolidge was President and the Great Depression was three years away. And the Model T was the hot new car.

French didn't inherit some magical longevity gene. His parents and siblings lived average lifespans. He built his remarkable endurance through movement, resilience and a stubborn refusal to act his age, said Bill Nurge, head coach at HardCore Training Center.

As one friend said, "Charley didn't slow down with age—he put his foot on the accelerator.”

EJ Harpham showed how riders could rest on Charley French’s aerodynamic bike bars.

About 150 people, including daughter Kristy Hamon and her family, showed up at Ketchum's Forest Service Park Monday evening to celebrate the man that Nurge calls “one of the valley’s most revere ambassadors for fitness and lifelong athleticism.”

They donned royal blue ball caps that read "I survived Charley's 100th!" and noshed on burritos and tacos from KB's Burrito Food Truck while sipping margaritas and fine wine.

Two picnic tables groaned under dozens of medals French has won over the years. And, quipped EJ Harpham, "That's just a year's worth of medals for Charley!"

French joined the Navy at 17, working as a machinist aboard the USS Cleveland and surviving multiple sea battles in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After the war, he found work in the aviation industry, where he skied the Alps and met Smith Optics founder Bob Smith. Together they created the first dual-lens ski goggle, modeled after house windows that are heat-sealed and double-paned—a design still used today.

Charley French’s medals and plaques include one for the Alcatraz Triathlon.

French came to Sun Valley to ski in the 1970s and went to work for Scott USA, retiring only at 92. Alongside Ed Scott, he helped develop a lighter, more responsive alpine ski boot that redefined ski performance.

Kenny Barfield, who worked with French at the boot plant, remembered him as a boss unlike any other: "You never once raised your voice...you were encouraging. You said, ‘Guys, let's design a solution, and we all worked on it. You treated us so respectfully."

In the mid-1980s, the tireless tinkerer designed the aerodynamic handlebars that allowed riders to tuck into a more streamlined position. He tested the aluminum bars himself at the 1986 Ironman World Championships in Kona, winning his age 60 group by 42 minutes and leaving doubters licking their chops.

Three years later, Greg LeMond used those same handlebars to win the 1989 Tour de France by eight seconds—the narrowest margin in Tour history.

If you don’t blink, you may catch a glimpse of Charley French biking by today.

French didn't fully commit to power-endurance sports until his mid-50s. But when he did, he did it with uncommon vigor.

He has competed in more than 200 triathlons—most of them after age 70—winning his age group in 195 of them, including five World Championship titles. He has won 12 gold medals at the World Masters Nordic Championships and won his age group in 41 of 45 Boulder Mountain Races. In his honor the Charley Course Half-Boulder was created.

In his 80s and 90s, he competed in the Bogus Basin Hill Climb every year, pedaling 14.5 miles and 3,500 feet up the winding road to Boise’s ski area.

And last year, when he was a young chap of just 99, he set indoor world records on the Concept2 SkiErg and RowErg. He was set to go for a new record at 100 on Tuesday but decided to postpone because, he said, he'd had too much fun on his birthday the day before.

Friend Terry Crawford, who has competed in a hundred triathlons with French, said he was following a race plan his wife had created that involved biking 10 miles before stopping to drink and eat a banana. Every time he stopped, “this old guy” would blow past him.

The old guy, of course, was French who talked Crawford through the entire 12-mile run that followed the biking portion.

"I think I knew Charlie's life story by the end," Crawford said. "It's not about age. It's about his spirit. The guy has a spirit that just won't stop.”

French is known for flashy cars and fast driving. Until he got a screaming red Audi SQ8, he pulled up to Nordic trailheads in a Lamborghini Gallardo. And at 93, he claimed to have driven to a triathlon in San Diego at 120 miles per hour.

Last winter, Crawford said, he accompanied French to Salt Lake City for French's eye surgery.

"My friend looked at me and said, ‘Wait a second—a 99-year-old guy was driving you to Salt Lake City to have eye surgery while you sat next to him watching the Buffalo Bills game?’ Charlie was only supposed to drive as far as Burley. But the game started right about then, so he just drove all the way to Salt Lake. I did drive him home, though."

Muffy Ritz, who has journeyed with French to World Masters Nordic competitions in Minnesota, Finland, Norway, Italy and Switzerland, shared four secrets to French's longevity.

“First is moderation. You go, ‘There's no way he's moderate.’ But he is. He does not go over the edge in his exercise. He is consistent. He does it every day. That's why he's still doing it. Second, he loves to tinker—with engines, gas grills, screwdrivers, waxing, whatever. It keeps his mind sharp. Third, he worked until he was 92.

“And fourth, and most important, is connection. Charlie is the bachelor of Ketchum. He goes out about five nights a week. And he's got a series of women he goes with.”

Roger Miller shared how French biked up France's legendary Mont Ventoux, a climb that has humbled some of the best riders in the Tour de France. A Frenchman reached the summit boasting, "I'm 65 and I made the Mont Ventoux!" As French pedaled up behind him. Miller yelled at the Frenchman, “That guy's 85.”

When asked the secret to reaching 100, Miller said, French simply said, "Keep breathing."

Granddaughter Molly Dodson knew a different side of the champion: "I know you all know him as an incredible achiever. I know him as the guy who would let me paint his toenails… he would let me paint them beautiful, fun colors, every color of the rainbow."

French skied the bumps on Baldy until he was 83. This past winter, he went to the 2026 World Masters Cross-Country Skiing Championships in Italy but was unable to compete after hurting his back falling in slush on a downhill practice run.

He took the blame with characteristic honesty: "The conditions weren't bad. It was me that was bad."

Asked why he keeps competing, he said, "Because I enjoy what I do. I enjoy being alive. I enjoy doing things with people, traveling. I look forward to it every day."

French lives by three rules, according to Nurge.

Rule No. 1: Don't get hurt.

Rule No. 2: Stimulate, don't annihilate—do enough to improve, not enough to break. And include balance, coordination and mobility in every workout. In fact, French tries to stand on one leg whether he's lifting a barbell or brushing his teeth to work on balance.

Rule No. 3: Always have goals. Put races on the calendar to get you training. And don't be afraid to pivot to something new when you realize you can't ski bumps the rest of your life.

And, does he have any achy, breaky parts at 100?

"No," he said. "Not at all."