Retirement, for T.J. Marce of Wayanad, has turned out to be a launchpad rather than a wind-down. The 74-year-old former Kerala State Road Transport Corporation employee has just summited Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest peak at 5,642 metres, and by the team's reckoning may be the oldest Indian ever to do so — 74 years, six months and 26 days old, to be precise.
Marce reached the summit on August 15, 2026, India's 80th Independence Day, after an eight-day expedition in Russia's Caucasus range. He was part of a five-member team from Kerala led by S. Seshadri, with Kozhikode's G.J. Aghina Soorya as co-lead — the only woman on the climb. The rest of the team: M.P. Muraleedharan (66) and P. Athif, both also veteran trekkers.
Conditions were far from friendly. The team pushed through the final ascent and descent after the saddle point in brutal weather, with winds hitting around 65 km/h. That Marce came through it at his age makes the story remarkable; that he did it with another sexagenarian alongside makes it quietly inspiring.
This isn't a one-off. Marce and Muraleedharan climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak at 5,895 metres, together in September 2025, and have also completed the Everest Base Camp trek as a pair. Athif summited Kilimanjaro back in 2019. With Elbrus done, Marce, Muraleedharan and Athif have each now ticked off two of the Seven Summits — the highest mountain on each continent.
Marce isn't stopping, either. He says standing on a summit and looking down gives him a satisfaction he can't find elsewhere, and he's already eyeing another major trek next year, subject to planning and preparation. Seshadri's take is a good philosophy for any traveller: the summit is only part of it — the preparation, the people, the challenges and getting home safely matter just as much. His mission, he says, is to convince more people that trekking is transformational, whether it's a first local trail or a continental high point.
Why does this matter to holidaymakers? Because it dismantles the assumption that high-altitude adventure belongs to the young. Elbrus is often billed as one of the more accessible Seven Summits — no technical climbing expertise is required on the normal route, just solid fitness, acclimatisation and a good guide — and a septuagenarian from Wayanad is now proof of what's possible. If you've been putting off that trekking trip because you think it's too late, this is your sign.
For Indians dreaming of the Caucasus, Elbrus is typically reached via Moscow or Mineralnye Vody, with the south side village of Terskol serving as the usual base. Most expeditions run about a week to ten days, exactly the window this Kerala team took.
