Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/244291
Here's a look at how three local champions have stayed in the game: Frank Shorter Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist, age 66 Seated in his North Boulder home, looking out on the bustling running trail beyond his kitchen window, Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter vividly recalls the day he realized he was slowing down. "It was in 1983 – a 10K in my hometown of Middletown, New York," he says, his round spectacles perched atop his shock of white hair. "I'm all alone, running with no shirt on, and all of the sudden it occurs to me – this is a lot harder than it should be. I won the race, but I knew right then I was on the far side of the bell curve." Thirty years later, Shorter still runs 35 to 40 miles a week, and is prepping for the Boston marathon in April, thanks largely to a decision he made way back then: Rather than mourn the fact that he wasn't going to get much faster, he made a conscious decision to slow down and take care of his body, so he could keep running throughout his life. In his 40s, when an old back injury began taking a toll, he lightened up on running and discovered spinning and duathlons (run, bike, run). He was crowned Duathlon World Champion two years in a row. In his 50s, when getting an intense enough workout on the track became trying, he discovered the elliptical machine and started cranking up the settings to get his heart rate up without all the pounding. Now, in his 60s, he has added in weight training to counteract the muscle loss that inevitably comes with aging and stretching and swimming to nurture a body that is no stranger to injury. "If you are active, you get hurt," says Shorter, who has a resurfaced hip, a couple of fused vertebrae, and a shoulder that was rebuilt after he dislocated his rotator cuff in a running fall on Kenosha Pass. "You Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter pauses during a run at Wonderview Park in North Boulder, a favorite spot for logging his 35-plus weekly miles. At 66, Shorter listens to his body so that he can continue his favorite sport for life. The 5th Annual Frank Shorter RACE4Kids' Health 5K April 13, 2014 1STBANK Center 11450 Broomfield Ln Broomfield, CO The event benefits Healthy Learning Paths, a Denver-based nonprofit that teaches wellness strategies to school children through its Be Well, Learn Well program. Shorter will be on hand to provide a runner's clinic and meet with participants. For more details, please visit www.healthylearningpaths.org Health and Wellness Magazine • 39