When most people hit age 70, they take a slower pace in life. But 79-year-old Hu Wei-I is on the fast track, setting records in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes in Taiwan for his age group.

Brother Hu, patriarch in the Taipei Taiwan West Stake and a sealer in the Taipei Taiwan Temple, focused on running after retiring as a translator for the Church at age 70.One of the first members of the Church in Taiwan, he was instrumental in translating the Book of Mormon into Chinese. He was set apart as a translator on Nov. 5, 1963, by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then of the Council of the Twelve. Brother Hu completed translation work in 1964 and the Book of Mormon was published in Chinese in 1965.

Brother Hu "has been unswerving in observing every tenet of the gospel," remarked Elder Merlin R. Lybbert, president of the Asia Area and a member of the Seventy. "He has been a splendid example of dedication, loyalty and hard work."

Brother Hu was born in Shanghai, China, in 1913. At age 36 he was a general in the Nationalist Army of Chiang Kai Shek. When the Nationalist Party was defeated, he and his wife, Yu Mei Shou, fled to Taiwan to begin a new life. It was there that he was introduced to the Church.

"I was a tough investigator," he remarked. "After I had finished listening to the 17th discussion, I decided to be baptized."

He gave up smoking, drinking and gambling and was baptized on Christmas Eve in 1958. His wife joined the Church a year later because she had seen how it had changed her husband.

His habits of smoking, drinking and gambling, however, had led him into debt and he had difficulty paying tithing. But that changed when he received the Melchizedek Priesthood from Robert Sherman Taylor, second president of the Southern Far East Mission.

Brother Hu was promised that the Lord would open the windows of heaven if he paid a full tithe. He followed this counsel and within a few months was promoted, had his salary increased and given opportunities to earn extra money to get out of debt.

In the earlier days of the Church in Taiwan, when Brother Hu was baptized, few Church materials were written in Chinese. His great desire to learn and read led to his involvement in translating the Book of Mormon.

Brother Hu - known for his spirituality, his kindness and sense of humor - was considered the most qualified translator following his translation of 3 Nephi.

After he was set apart as a translator, he requested a leave of absence from his position at an airline company so he could work full-time on the project. Once the Book of Mormon was published in Chinese, missionary work flourished.

Working in the translation department is only one of Brother Hu's contributions to the Church. As a member for almost 35 years, he has served as a branch president and counselor, as well as counselor in the Southern Far East Mission.

His achievement on the track didn't come until after he retired from serving in the translation department and began to focus on his personal interest of short distance races. Brother Hu began practicing at a track at a local university.

"When I was working for the airline company and the translation department, I used to ride a bicycle back and forth from work since there was a considerable distance between home and office. This daily routine practice gradually strengthened my body.

"At first, I didn't know I had the potential in dash. It was in Church sports days that I found I was compatible with the young members because they all fell behind me."

From there he increased his practice and began setting records. Brother Hu holds the Taiwan record (age 75-80) for running the 100-meter dash in 17 seconds, the 200-meter dash in 36 seconds and the 400-meter dash in 84 seconds.

He represented Taiwan in the World Masters Games held in Canada in 1985 and was one of three finalists, winning the silver medal for the 400-meter dash and the bronze medal in the 100-meter dash.

He now plans to practice distance running to see if he can master that as well.