The scene at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, was recognizable, no different from a high school track and field game. There was a training ground where athletes jogged and stretched. Frightened runners swept the track and tarpaulins provided shade from the hot Florida sun.
But the athletes who competed in the National Senior Games track and field event had a few more gray hairs than their teenage counterparts. They also had grandchildren cheering for them in the stands.
Many of the runners were 75 to 99 years old and didn’t start running until they were in their 60s. Some needed a little help putting on their shoes before heading to the starting line. But they all shared their determination to compete – and to finish every race.
They had a lot of advice for younger runners hoping to follow in their footsteps around a 400-meter oval.
Stay consistent, stay persistent and keep moving, they said.
Walter Lancaster
82 years old, Charleston, SC
“I try to be an inspiration,” said Walter Lancaster. “A lot of people, you know, get lazy or something. And I say, ‘Look. You have to keep moving.’ That’s the secret. Just keep moving.”
A passionate competitor, Lancaster taught himself how to compete in field events – both throwing and jumping – to complement his track racing. “If you hate running, you’ll find many reasons not to run,” he said.
Lancaster doesn’t expect to slow down anytime soon. “I just enjoy it,” he added. “I’ll keep going as long as my joints last.”
Lillian Atchley
93 years old, Cleveland, Tennessee.
Lillian Atchley said she didn’t have much advice for new runners. “I think you just have to have the love to race, the determination to just do it,” she said.
Atchley, of Cleveland, Tennessee, competed in every track event available in Miramar: the 50-meter dash, the 100, 400, 800 and 1500 in the women’s 90-95 age category.
The 50m race was an exciting one: Patricia Fujii and Yvonne Aasen took first place in 20.43 seconds and Atchley finished third in 20.53 seconds. She was second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 44.28 seconds, behind Fujii, who won in 43.25.
“The people in the running community are amazing,” she said.
Roy Englert
99 years old, Springfield, Virginia.
Roy Englert was one of the oldest participants in the National Senior Games. He competed in the 400 meters and finished in 3:35.47.
Englert attributes his success to a simple equation. “My consistent advice is to keep moving, keep moving, keep moving,” he said, “and get a little lucky.”
Yvonne Aasen
90 years old, Westminster, Md.
Many have called Yvonne Aasen a source of inspiration. But running is “exactly what I do,” she said. “I feel good when I run, and when I don’t run, it feels like I’m missing something.”
As a member of two running clubs – the Annapolis Striders and the Westminster Road Runners Club – she jumps at the chance to compete. Like her friendly rival, 93-year-old Atchley, Aasen started in the 50-meter dash, the 100, 400, 800 and 1,500. In some races she was one of only two runners. But she didn’t mind. “I feel competitive even when I’m not competing,” she said.
And for runners who want to keep pace? “Run every day, even if it’s just a short distance,” she said. “I can’t run much now, but when I can’t run anymore, I still walk.”
