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2 September 2026

Puzzle sentence and answer

The sentence

91-year-old Dale Sanders, known as Grey Beard, finished the Appalachian Trail, the oldest ever to do it.

Show the five-word answer
91-year-oldSandersfinishedAppalachianTrail

Kept 'oldest'? That is the record, but 91-year-old is the record too, and a number beats an adjective. 91-year-old Sanders finished Appalachian Trail is how a desk would head it. 'Dale' and 'Grey Beard' are the tempting cut. Dale Sanders finished Appalachian Trail reads fine and loses the whole reason it is news. This one really happened. Dale Sanders, trail name Grey Beard, reached the sign on top of Katahdin in Maine on 31 August, 359 days after starting at Harpers Ferry, and by his own count fell 71 times on the way. He first set the record in 2017 at 82. His friend M.J. Eberhart took it in 2021 at 83, then drove Sanders' camper for the first 800 miles of the comeback.

Every word, accounted for

91-year-oldThe record, as a number. Oldest says the same thing with an adjective, and the number is the concrete one.
DaleHis first name. One name is enough in a headline, and the surname is the one people search.
SandersWho did it.
knownPart of known as, which only introduces the nickname.
asA little word. It only holds the sentence together.
GreyHis trail name, with Beard. A nickname is fun, but the age is the news.
BeardThe other half of the nickname. Same reason.
finishedWhat he did.
theA little word. It only holds the sentence together.
AppalachianWhat he finished, first half.
TrailWhat he finished, second half. Appalachian on its own is a mountain range.
theA little word. It only holds the sentence together.
oldestThe same fact as 91-year-old, said with an adjective. Keep the number.
everDecoration on oldest.
toA little word. It only holds the sentence together.
doPart of to do it, which repeats finished.
itStands in for the trail, which is already in.
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