04/30/2020
At age 78, Hiroshi Morihara runs marathons. That's part of his regime to keep fit for a higher purpose: teaching advanced skiing, which he's done since 1968. "Throughout the year, I have to be active--running, weightlifting, hiking in the mountains--so when ski season comes my legs and upper body are strong," he says.
Morihara also needs strength to run HM3, which he launched in 2008, at age 70. The company, which is pre-revenue but has several million dollars in investment, is developing a form of clean energy made from the waste wood that is plentiful in Oregon, where HM3 is based. "This is a very disruptive technology," says Morihara. "It is a great coal-replacement fuel."
When he's not working on his alternative-energy startup, Hiroshi Morihara is a distance runner. Nearing the age of 80, he's not slowing down on either effort.