GROWING BOLDER WITH

GROWING BOLDER WITH

Roy Englert, 99

Roy Englert, 99, is one of just a few athletes to participate in every National Senior Games since they began in 1987. He has been a competitive runner for 40 years, which might lead you to believe that he loves running but he would be quick to correct you. “I do not enjoy running because running is very difficult,” he said. “What I enjoy is finishing, because that’s fun!”

Englert had great success in the 95-99 age group, setting world records in the 800 meters and 1500 meters. This year, because his 100th birthday is in September, he moves into the 100-104 age group where he hopes to set even more records. Not a bad legacy for someone who didn’t start running until he was 60.

“I was very small when I was growing up, so I never did any athletics,” Englert recalled. “When I started, I couldn't run a quarter of a mile without getting out of breath. But for some reason I kept at it. It didn’t take long for me to realize I am not a sprinter. I just don’t have any speed. So, I began to concentrate on longer distances and that’s where I started to see some success.”

“I’ll never forget when I thought I might like to enter my first senior games,” he said. “It was 40 years ago. I was about 60 and everybody thought I was old back then. People would say, ‘What in the world are you doing?' Even my own mother looked at me and said, 'You're too old to run.' And like I said, that was 40 years ago.”

Undaunted, Englert gave it a try. “Oh, I enjoyed it,” he said. “Ran a couple of races and I won a gold and a silver, and I thought ‘This is fun. I'm going to do it some more.’ And so, I did.”

Englert wasn’t surprised that he enjoyed the physical aspects of competing, but there was something else that meant even more.

“The people you meet at the Games are incredible,” he said. “I always have so much fun. You get to know so many wonderful and caring people that you look forward to seeing. The camaraderie really keeps you going so I would say I mostly enjoy the camaraderie and the competition, even though the older I get the fewer competitors I have.”

Englert will turn 100 in September and while his family and friends are very excited about it, Englert just takes it all in stride. “Really, it's no different than being 59, or 69, or whatever,” he explained. “I don’t think about it too much and just try to keep going as long as I can. I think that’s probably good advice for everybody, just keep going as long as you can.”