You're Never Too Old

How old is too old to compete in challenging sports such as bicycle racing, distance running or triathlons?

The answer to that question might surprise you.

I recently ‘aged up’ into an older age group and had to endure the good-natured ribbing from friends who congratulated me on being in the “Old Dinosaur” race category.

The funny thing is — I don’t feel any older than I was a couple of decades ago and I’m certainly not alone in feeling that way.

As baby boomers and even the generations before them “age up” but continue racing, there are some amazing stories of longevity by athletes who prove that “too old” just doesn’t exist.

One of those never-too-old athletes is French cyclist Robert Marchard, age 102, who recently

announced that he would attempt to break his own world one-hour cycling distance record (15.1 miles) which he set in 2012 at age 100.

He did just that Friday, covering 16.7 miles during the hour of cycling on an indoor track in front of a cheering crowd of supporters.

Marchard explained that he stays conservative with his training.

“For the last five years I have decided not to go for rides of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles),” he noted in a 2012 interview. “There is no point going overboard. I want to keep cycling for some time yet.”

Think about that — how many people in their 20s, 30s, or 40s would consider 60+ mile rides to be ‘conservative’?

Toronto’s Fauja Singh is another mature athlete who refutes the concept of being too old for a strenuous fitness activity.

In 2011, he became the first 100-year-old runner to finish a full marathon, completing the 26.2-mile event in a time of just over eight hours.

Singh ran his first marathon at age 89 and has since completed eight of the grueling long distance events.

There are also some mature triathletes such as Sister Madonna Buder who continue to amaze and impress younger competitors.

Sister Madonna, who has completed over 35 Ironman distance events (including 20 Ironman World Championship races) is 83 years old.

She started running in 1978 at age 48, did a triathlon in 1982, and completed her first Ironman distance triathlon in 1985 at age 55.

She’s also cowritten a book about her experiences, “The Grace to Race: The Wisdom and Inspiration of the 80-Year-Old Woman Known as the Iron Nun.”

Closer to home, 81-year-old Fred Schmid of Waco is a multi-time national and world cycling champion who races road bikes, mountain bikes and also cyclocross events.

Schmid, who didn’t start cycling and racing until 1994 when he was already in his 60s, appears to just now be hitting his stride related to competitive cycling.

He raced 42 sanctioned USA Cycling events during 2013, including winning another national championship at the 2013 cyclocross nationals.

The take-home message from these mature athletes is that you’re never too old to compete or start competing.

More and more research now shows that a combination of fairly intense cardiovascular workouts, strength training and appropriate recovery after workouts will result in continued fitness for older athletes.

Most importantly, a lifelong emphasis on fitness can result in better cognitive function, less loss of muscle mass, lower blood pressure and decreased risk of diabetes, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

So, if you know anyone (you, your parents, grandparents, etc.) who think they’re too old to work out hard or maybe even try a few races, make them read this column and then buy a bicycle or running shoes.

Based on the athletes described above, being ‘too old’ is just a state of mind.  There’s no such thing as being too old for training and racing.


Upcoming Events

Feb 14: Funnel Cake 5K, roadlizards.org

Feb 22: Trail running series #2, roadlizards.org

Mar 8: Trail running series #3, roadlizards.org

Mar 22: Crazy Desert Trail Race, roadlizards.org

Mar 22: Steam-N-Wheels cycling race and tour, Abilene, bikereg.com/Net/steam-n-wheels

April 5: Bikes for Trykes cycling tour, eventbrite.com/contact-organizer?eid=10199820939