Jim Hite

In a recent column, Scott Tinley, a champion triathlete and Ironman Hawaii winner who began his career in the 1970s, wrote how he was awed by athletes he had known and competed with during that career.

In pondering his comments, I realized that Joyce and I also have been awed by many athletes we have met during the nearly three decades we have competed.

Yes, we have met a few of the big names, those immediately recognizable by followers of running, track and field, and cycling. It's a beauty of the sport that in some cases, elite and notso elite compete within the same venue - not at the same level, of course, but on the same road or track.

However, if truth be told, it is most often those who compete in the various age-groups who have become our friends and many of whom are inspirations to all who know them. Now I am talking about competitors, those who take their running, as well as in my case cycling, seriously. While speed becomes relative the older we get, we still train hard and frequently, and compete with every bit of effort we can muster.

Tinley's article has led me to ponder the common traits of these age-group athletes, traits which are both good and not-so-good.

We can be selfish with our time, single-minded, inward and focused, sometimes even vainglorious.

However, possibly most importantly, we challenge the very notion of "can't." We often use our energy to empower those facing life's hurdles. We contribute to society. We identify with other athletes. We find joy in living each day. Some of us can even be inspirational.

And whatever our age, we look for something greater in our lives through sport. We get up in the dark of early morning, even in summer. We spend not just minutes, but hours on the road, good weather and bad, in rain, cool breezes and hot sun. We may not be able to define what we are doing, but we do have the feeling that what we are doing is moving to a place other than where we have been. It's a passion for life that takes us well beyond physical and mental confines within which others are imprisoned. We are restless, maybe close to frenetic. While we consume, we also give. We are like others, yet different. We are many things, but there is one thing we are not. We are not among Thoreau's mass of men living is states of quiet desperation.

I know we have bored some of you with tales of those we've met. Just this year, we were able to reconnect with a 93-year-old retired professor at the University of Tennessee as he returned to the track following a bout with cancer. We first met him at Michigan State a decade ago and have seen him at national and world championships ever since, until his cancer battle. Now he's back!

Just a month ago, I competed in Powerman Ohio against a duathlete who had just moved into my 70-74 age-group and who spent last year fighting and surviving a bout with prostate cancer. I have known him for several years and dreaded his reaching 70. My dread was based on reality. He dusted me!

These are but two! We know many others. And I am sure there are hundreds more we have not even met.

There is a vitality, a marvelous zest for living and doing within this brotherhood and sisterhood of athletes. Age is not a factor; speed (or the lessening thereof) is not a factor. And most importantly, we have not seen one bit of quiet desperation!