Late Bloomers Get In The Race Many Seniors Capable Of Much More Than Their Usual Daily Routines

Only two entered that first Bloomsday, 19 years ago.

Last year, waves of silver-haired men and women crossed the finish line. More than 1,100 fit seniors showed old age doesn’t mean a permanent seat in a rocking chair.

“They’re the cream of the crop for being in shape in their age group,” said Dr. Jeffrey O’Connor of Spokane, who specializes in geriatrics.

Doctors used to think being out of shape was normal for senior citizens. But active people 65 and older are pushing themselves and working out more vigorously than before.

“I would say they’re definitely more health-conscious and more aware of the need for good eating habits and good sound exercise habits,” said Gwen Hyatt, a Tucson, Ariz., specialist in exercise and aging.

Some experts believe doctors and fitness trainers have gone easy on fit seniors who could use tougher workouts.

“One of the pitfalls of our industry is that we tend to treat older adults too gently sometimes,” Hyatt said. “We tend to say, ‘Take it easy. Don’t overdo.”’

Fitness programs are usually designed to help seniors maintain daily routines, such as bringing in groceries and taking out the trash, Hyatt said.

But many seniors are capable of much more.

John Bowers, 71, who’s run in every Bloomsday, finished fourth among runners 70 and over in 1995.

Bowers finished last year’s race in 67 minutes. He’s been running since he was in his late 30s when the running craze hit Eugene, Ore.

“We lived on a hill and we could see all these people running on a high school track in the valley,” Bowers said.

He started running and got hooked. He didn’t reach his peak times until he was in his late 50s, after he’d moved to Spokane.

“If you’re kind of down mentally and you go run 5 miles, it kind of brings you up,” Bowers said.

His secret to fitness is that he makes himself run even when he’d rather do nothing. “I’ve run when it’s as cold as 5 below zero,” Bowers said. “If you use any excuses not to run, you just end up not doing it.”

O’Connor said exercising can increase the quality of life for older people. Seniors who exercise are more likely to fend off heart attacks and high blood pressure and be more mentally alert.

“You can’t hold off death, but you can make your passage to that point more enjoyable.”

People in their 70s or 80s who walk and run Bloomsday amaze even some of O’Connor’s younger patients.

He recalls one patient in his 50s who’d suffered heart problems complaining that older walkers were overtaking him on a trial walk along the Bloomsday route recently.

Three people in their 90s participated in Bloomsday last year. This year, 105-year-old Cecelia Kelly will be among the racers. She plans to walk across the starting line and for a portion of the race. Otherwise, she’ll sit in a wheelchair and her grandsons will push her.

“They thought it would be kind of fun,” Kelly said.

O’Connor said seniors should consult a doctor before starting an exercise regime.

“But even older people who are out of shape can get in shape,” he said.

In any case, set goals and start slowly. “You’re not 20 anymore.”

Experts say senior citizens also find opportunities to socialize while exercising.

Take 75-year-old Shirley Wihlborg of Spokane, for example.

Surrounded by Ponderosa pines, Wihlborg marched up to a trail marker on a dirt path one recent morning at Dishman Hills.

She turned to the elderly group of Corbin Community Center hikers she leads every Thursday and put her hands on her hips.

For only a second, Wihlborg, who sported a Bloomsday T-shirt, fixed a quizzical stare at the group. She thought the group might be lost, but quickly guided them onto the right path.

Wihlborg and many of the other senior hikers are gearing up for the 20th running of Bloomsday Sunday.

Carrying a cane on the Dishman Hills hike, 80-year-old Mary Lou Ryder also walked with Wihlborg’s group and plans to participate in Bloomsday. The crowd gives her a thrill.

“It makes your adrenaline flow,” she said.

Wihlborg will be walking in her 15th race this year.

“Ordinarily, I don’t like crowds. But Bloomsday is different. Bloomsday participants are my kind of people,” she said. “Nobody’s whining. Everybody’s polite and nice.”

Wihlborg hikes about 10 miles a week as well as taking walks whenever she’s not busy.

“I keep active,” she said. “The old rocking chair gets you if you don’t.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Running longer More than a thousand people 65 and older completed Bloomsday last year. Here’s a breakdown: Age 65 to 69 - 318 men, 337 women; Age 70 to 79 - 226 men, 204 women; Age 80 and up - 23 men, 24 women; Source: Lilac Bloomsday Association