64-Year-Old Hitting His Stride

He looks like he has discovered a cure for aging. His body is taut. His smile is bright and wide. And at 64, Tom Pontac shows no outward signs of slowing down. Literally.

For Pontac became a newlywed last year, graduated from college in the spring and now plans to train as many of his new neighbors as he can to do what he loves most: run marathons.

16-Year-Old to Run Marathon with 80-Year-Old Grandpa

It's special for a 16-year-old boy to run his first full marathon.

But what makes it even more special for Victorville's Joseph Flores is that he's running with his 80-year-old grandfather.

Flores will participate in today's Los Angeles Marathon with 20 other or so Academy of Academic Excellence students as part of Students Run L.A., an organization that sponsors teenagers to run the marathon and provides guidance.

59 and Still Loving Exercise

Jeanne Sutherland of Memphis was in her 20's and anxious to get in shape when the mother of a friend urged her to just do "something" for 30 minutes each day. "That was so do-able. I wanted to get healthy and shape up. That was a realistic way to begin." It was in early 1970s. Before too long Sutherland was hooked.

"Martha Pipkin was my first teacher. Back in those days (her class) was at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. We would do sit-ups to Martha singing the Lord's prayer."

The Trail Beckons

Myra Rhodes catches flak from her tennis buddies for running ultramarathons. They figure she should stick to something less taxing at 70.

Diana Lundy hears a similar response if she mentions her sport at work. Running 31-, 50- and 100-mile races?

Why?

26 Years Between Marathons

The last time Shirley Douglas ran a marathon, she was 35 - young confident, and a little naive.

When she toes the start line of the Oakland Marathon on Sunday, Douglas will be 61. While she might be a little slower, she feels a lot better prepared, and she says there's a good chance she'll be healthier and happier when she finishes her 26.2 miles.

Triathlete, 56, follows strict regimen

Who: John Mozena, 56, Lake Oswego; 6 feet, 160 pounds.

Mozena is a podiatrist in private practice and a published writer. An Oregon native, he graduated from Central Catholic High School and the University of Oregon. He and his wife, Liz, have two daughters, ages 21 and 25. He coached his girls in every sport they played.

Workout: A triathlete, Mozena has six Ironman competitions under his belt as well as 13 half-Ironmans and more than 20 marathons. He competes all over the country and is trying to get to the world championships. His coach, Dave Caiverella, also is a doctor.

Mozena exercises at least 15 hours a week and at least 20 hours a week before a competition.

60-Years-Old and 1,000 Miles Per Year

Erick Larson runs close to a thousand miles a year.

"I do four miles a day, four days a week," said the 60-year-old businessman.

It's something he's been doing since March 2000. He figures if he ran in one direction he'd be close to halfway around the world.

"At about 10,000 miles, I will be coming back home," he said.

I Got Your "Junk" Miles

If you are a recreational runner, there is a decent chance you've never even heard the phrase "junk miles." Despite clocking 30 miles per week, I certainly qualify as a "recreational runner," never having run long-distance in competition. However, I do read a lot of books and magazine articles about running, and it is here we find references to the junk-mile concept in abundance, usually by highly competitive types. 

Don't get me wrong, I respect the highly competitive types who find ways to motivate themselves by finding new training challenges for most of their runs (let's say 80%), with the balance of their miles (20% or less) constituting "junk," which might be defined as running for no other reason than to log the miles, and often in a slow and unpurposed fashion.

Well, since I don't compete, I suppose that makes most of my miles something close to "pure" junk.

Or does it?

Let me beg to differ.

1,000 Miles Per Year

Erick Larson runs close to a thousand miles a year.

"I do four miles a day, four days a week," said the 60-year-old businessman.

87-Year-Old Still Running Marathons

1997

The first time Abraham Weintraub tried to enter the New York City Marathon, he was not thinking about how fast he could cover the 26 miles and 385 yards. All he wanted to do was push his wife, Ruth, in her wheelchair.

Masters Runners: Running into Old Age

June 2000

The camera lens was getting too close and Dan Conway said he didn't want his wrinkles to show.

He was kidding, of course. At age 61, wrinkles are no bid deal. Conway isn't bothered by ego.

Running into Old Age

George Sheehan

Winning Doesn't Matter, the Point is to Run

I first came upon the aging process in a race. I felt no sense of advancing years in my day-to-day activity. My work week was unchanged: I wrote, I traveled, I lectured. Some people marveled at my energy and endurance. It was my weekend race that finally told me I was no longer young.