Redefining Age - Setting World Records at Age 75
by
Phil Campbell - Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness for Time Crunched
Adults
At a recent master’s track meet, I saw Bill Daprano
run a strong 200 meter sprint in just over 30 seconds. Michael Johnson made the
200 meter event famous by setting a world record during the
Olympics—that’s great, but he’s a young guy.
Bill is 75
years old. He looks 40. From a distance, to see Bill run, you might say,
"That’s a fast high school or college athlete."
Bill has set 6
World Records and two of them in the Pentathlon for his performance in five
events (long jump, discus, 200 meter sprint, javelin, and the 1500
meters).
I was throwing
the discus when the starting gun sounded. I glanced and saw Bill take off from
the starting blocks and I watched him run as I always do at track meets for
inspiration. When he came out of the turn and headed into the straight way, he
looked strong, young, and fast.
I made the
comment to 30 or so discus throwers, "that guy out in front is 75 years old."
Everyone stopped to watch Bill run.
Bill running
is art in motion! No painting has ever inspired me like watching Bill Daprano
run.
Jeanne Daprano
is also art in motion. She holds eight World Records. And they’re in the
tough mid-distance races.
In the group,
age 60-64 women, Jeanne set a world record in the 1500 meters, (just a little
short of a mile) in 5:46. (That’s four laps around the track minus 200
meters in less than 6 minutes).
In the 65-69
women’s group, Jeanne set another World record in 2002 by running 1500
meters in 5:48. This beat the former world record by 9 seconds.
Question: How
many high school students can run 1500 meters in less than 6 minutes?
Think about
this for a moment. Here’s a woman over the age of 65, and she can probably
out run 98% of all the high school students in the country.
Bill and
Jeanne Daprano motivate me.
They motivate
me to get the message out that middle-age and older adults are cheating
themselves out of the quality (and the quantity) of their life because they
don’t do anaerobic, high-intensity, Ready Set Go Fitness type training.
Send this newsletter to those who need this message.
What does
this mean to you?
This question
can only be answered by you. Are you going to start the fitness program and
stick with it? Only you can answer this question.
As I watched
Bill finish his race, I thought of my dad, who died at 50 with a major heart
attack. Bill and my dad would be about the same age. My dad missed 25 years of
his life because he didn’t have the health and fitness information we have
today about how to perform high-intensity exercise.
He missed
seeing three grandchildren born. Oh, how he would have loved my children. But
that’s gone. It doesn’t have to be this way for you—if
you’ll make the decision today to add fitness training to your
life…and keep it there for a lifetime.
The take home
Develop a Bill
and Jeanne Daprano attitude. You’ll understand what I mean when you read
this — I asked Bill if he was going to the World Masters Championships in
Puerto Rico, and he told me that they aren’t offering the five event
pentathlon, but only the 10 event decathlon.
So what is
Bill going to do, not go? Don’t be silly! Bill told me that he is going to
learn how to pole vault so he can compete in the decathlon.
This is the
Bill and Jeanne Daprano attitude.Are you cheating yourself…your
family…from a Daprano full-of-energy lifestyle?
Have a great
day!
Phil Campbell,
M.S., M.A., FACHE Author
Ready, Set, GO! Synergy Fitness
National Institutes of Health research cited in newsletter,
Research Summary
NOTE: The purpose of this article is to expand thinking about
fitness as an informational source for readers, and is not medical advice.
Before attempting the Synergy Fitness program, the Sprint 8 Workout, or any
high-intensity exercise program, consult your physician. This is not just a
liability warning; it's wise to have a baseline medical exam before beginning a
fitness program. Make your physician a partner in your fitness improvement
plan. |
