By Kelly Ferrin
As the saying goes, "Life’s all about the journey, not the destination." But in this case, I’m writing this column as I return from an extraordinary destination, Brisbane-Australia, where I journeyed with my husband, Tim, and our 88-year young friend, Bert Morrow, who competed in the 14th World Veteran Track & Field Championships.
But this is not about Australia as a destination (although there are some fascinating tales to tell), but rather the experience of the journey. This was a gathering of 6,000 "master" athletes (all over the age of 40), representing 79 countries from all over the world, 1,000 of which were over the age of 65. It was an inspiring experience, seeing and meeting these people. Few of them ever imagined they’d be competing in world sport competition at this stage in their lives, but all of them seemed to be there for the same reason – and it was not about winning medals. It was about the camaraderie and the new challenges these games provided that fueled these folks.
Of course, these championships do provide the opportunity to demonstrate some pretty incredible athleticism and physical fitness abilities, too, but I witnessed more than just that going on. I focused most of my time and energy on those participants over the age of 75, because they’re the ones who generally face the most challenges, physically, as well as mentally, and even emotionally as they fight the mindset issues which can often be more of a barrier than the mere physical aspects of the body performing some of these feats.
Some of you may be wondering too, why would any 75 to 100 year-old man or woman even want to compete in a track and field event – running the sprints or hurdles, doing the pole-vault, or leaping in the long-jump? But it’s perhaps this very aspect, the non-physical part, that really enables these people to do the things many consider impossible – at any age, let alone in these later stages of life. They are no doubt an exceptional breed, but it seems to be their internal spirit that really drives them – their beliefs. You see, they honestly believe that age is just a number and it certainly is not going to stop them from continuing to live their life, experience new adventures and challenge themselves.
Take for example, Les Amey of Brisbane, Australia. At 101, he’s the oldest competitor at the event who competed in the 100m Sprints and the 1500m run! In addition to setting a world-record in each event, he also had his own private fan club, two ladies, no less, Connie Gibson, age "100.5" and Louise Russell, 103, both members of the "100+ Club" in Queensland! Although he didn’t blister the track with much more than a high-speed shuffle, the fact that he was out there doing it – and actually enjoying it as he smiled from start to finish, was the inspiring part. After he was finished he sat down for a rest with the ladies and chatted away while they all enjoyed some tea and cookies!
But that was not the only story. At 91, Rosario Rocha Iglesias, of Mexico City was the oldest female competitor. Nicknamed, "Chayito" which means little one in Spanish--since she stands little more than four feet tall, Rosario was equally inspiring. She competed in the 200m sprints, the 800m and the 1500m run. She too, set world records in both the 800m and 1500m, in fact, this was the first time a 90-year young woman has ever even run the 800m in world competition and she did it rather impressively as well, with a time under seven minutes!
Rosario indeed has a flaming spirit – she’s been an entrepreneur for more than 60 years, running her own newspaper stand near Aztec Stadium downtown. She’s only been competing since she was 80, at which time she told her family she would like to learn how to run after witnessing many marathons pass by her stand which is what initially sparked her interest in the sport. She’s become a national hero in Mexico, and likely all over the world by now. All the athletes wanted pictures with her and she was featured in every newspaper and television news broadcast.
Whatever she’s doing, she’s apparently doing it right because she claims to have no health problems, aches or pains. She says she eats whatever she wants, although not much meat but she does enjoy her Coca-Cola. Her daily workout consists mostly of walking and running her newsstand, but her Grandson, Conrado Peralta, coaches her about 20 minutes a day with a stretching and jogging routine. Family is a priority in her life, and with 15 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, 5 great great grandchildren and 2 great great great grandchildren; you can imagine how the celebrations become a major fiesta!
But on the USA home front we can all be proud to salute Bert Morrow, 88, who competed in the 100m and 200m Sprints, as well as the 80m Hurdles. Being a world-record holder in the hurdles and somewhat of an ambassador for American track and field, Bert had some stiff competition, particularly considering he had to race against some of the "young-buck" 85, 86, and even 87 year-olds in his division. But he performed like a champ, making it into the finals for both the 100m and 200m sprints, and winning the silver medal in the hurdles just barely missing the gold by a few seconds to an 85-year old from Finland!
The real story however, that few know about Bert was that he’d been injured for six months, coming into the competition with a pulled groin muscle. He rarely talked about it because he didn’t want to sound like he was making excuses, but as a gerontologist who knows the challenges of competing at this age, let alone while recovering from an injury, what he accomplished is beyond any gold medal. Although he continued his workout routine as best he could during the time leading up to this championship, his therapist really only released him as "ready to go" the day before we left.
Bert continued his stretching regimen, but obviously was unable to perform his usual workout the way he normally would. When the time came to run the 100m and 200m sprints, there was deep competition and although he favored the leg a bit (likely saving himself for the hurdles) he still made it into the finals. Even though he didn’t win a medal, the finals is a victory in itself because the competition was steep, not to mention coming away from both races without an injury!
But the real story as I said, is the hurdles – an amazing example of athleticism at any age, let alone 88, and after an injury that prevented him from running or practicing them for more than six months. The morning of the race he still had not taken a practice leap and decided he was just going to "go for it and put it on automatic pilot." Bert and I have been friends for years and do a lot of traveling together, speaking to and motivating audiences across the country on the benefits of exercise and healthy aging, so to say I was a bit nervous is an understatement. But to describe the pride I felt as he flew down the track, not touching one single hurdle and getting to the finish line with his body in tact, just barely being squeaked out of the gold medal by a mere 5 seconds to the 85-year old from Finland, brought tears to my eyes and the audience to their feet!
All these athletes give it everything they have, and it takes more than just physical fitness to do what these people do – it takes pride and drive, and that’s what keeps the spirit alive, regardless of age. It’s not about the medals – that’s the destination. It’s about the journey and how to keep going in the game of life.
Kelly Ferrin is a local gerontologist residing in Carlsbad. She is a certified AARP retirement specialist, motivational speaker, consultant, and author of a nationally released book titled, "What’s Age Got To Do With It?" She can be contacted at ageangel@earthlink.net.
