Dare to Be 100: And You're Still in Bed

As I write this there are 12,000 older athletes assembled in Minneapolis at the 14th edition of the National Senior Games. Nineteen separate activities are scheduled including running, swimming, biking, horse shoes, archery, table tennis etc. These games are held every two years nationally, but annually at a state level, which serve as a tuneup. Competition is divided into five year age increments. This year the oldest competitor is 102-year-old John Zilverberg of South Dakota. This is the 30th year in which he has competed. He is scheduled to throw the discuss, shotput, javelin, and softball throw. He used to do running and jumping events as well but one leg "gave out." We here at Stanford were absorbed by the activities of one of our own Payton Jordan, our track coach and also coach of the Olympic team and cover boy for Time magazine. In the Games at age 80 in 1997 he ran the 200 m in 30.81 seconds. Incredible. My own participation was at the fabled track in Eugene Oregon a few years back. The torchbearer at the entry march was the great Kenyan runner Kip Keino. I recall that during my run at the back of the pack in the 10,000 m event as we passed the spectators' grandstand a big Whoop came up. I appreciated their support, but I recognized then that the cheer was not for me but for a 90-year-old German who had just broken the world record for the shot put for his age. My vanity was tweaked. But my main affiliation with the Senior Games came with my long friendship wit...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news