Retired doctor becomes oldest person to summit Kilimanjaro at age 90

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - A retired doctor became the oldest person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, summiting the peak on his 90th birthday.

Upon reaching the summit of Africa’s highest peak early Monday morning, Dr. Arthur Ulene celebrated with a birthday cake and some singing and dancing — much in the same vein that he has celebrated his long life.

Ulene’s accomplishment unofficially placed him in the record books as the oldest person to climb Kilimanjaro, a milestone his daughter, Dr. Valerie Ulene, confirmed Monday.

“It was — if not the best — probably the best birthday celebration he’s ever had, but certainly the most unique," she told Alaska’s News Source.

At 19,341 feet, Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, meaning it is not part of a mountain range.

The successful summit appeared to give Art Ulene the record for the oldest person to reach the top of the mountain, although that distinction has not yet been verified by Guinness World Records. The officially recognized record is 89 years and 37 days, held by American climber Anne Lorimor, who reached the summit in July 2019.

“He said it was the hardest thing he had ever done, but I’m sure he’s feeling really proud of himself right now,” Valerie Ulene said. “I know I am.”

Alaska’s News Source reached out to Guinness World Records to confirm Ulene’s record Monday but had not heard back as of publication. Guinness states on its website that the verification process can take up to three months.

Valerie Ulene said she heard that the National Park Service had a representative on the mountain to meet her father, adding that breaking the age record was “top of mind” for him.

“He is determined to have that recorded,” she said.

At 90, Art Ulene is a retired OB-GYN and a former Today Show medical contributor who made regular appearances on national television.

Last month, he told Alaska’s News Source in an interview that his goal in breaking the record was to prove to all that age is nothing but a number.

“I want to be in perfect health until the day I die,” he said. “The day after I die, I want my friends saying, ‘What did he die of? He looked great yesterday.’”

Ulene spoke about trying to change public perceptions of growing old.

“Let’s get rid of this notion that old age is a time for decline,” he said last month. “It’s time for growth.”

When asked about the possibility of visiting Alaska and maybe even an attempt at climbing 20,310-foot Denali (formerly Mount McKinley), Ulene didn’t rule out the chance.

“You will hear from me if I do get there,” he said. “I promise.”

His daughter Valerie laughed on Monday when asked about her father’s possible ambitions of climbing Alaska’s tallest peak.

“I know a couple of people who have attempted Denali who are much younger than my dad and in incredible shape, and Denali has gotten the best of most of them,” she said.