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AN ATHLETE’S JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE
Record-Holding Athlete’s Journey of Resilience
Del Moon And Nick Gandy
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At the age of 50, Michael Brown achieved something that athletes of any age yearn for — a record. The former Jacksonville, Florida, high school teacher and track and field coach threw his javelin a whopping 226 feet at the 2004 Florida Senior Games; and then he repeated the same distance at the 2005 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh. No senior athlete has made a javelin throw over 200 feet, in either event, since.
Brown also holds the Masters Track and Field World Record in the 55-59 age group with a throw of 216 feet 10 inches, established in 2010. No one is more surprised with his lasting records, but the true tale of the tape for him is measured in years, not yards.
“My comeback and the journey since is every bit as important,” he said.
Following his 2010 performance, Brown went surfing and experienced pain in his throwing shoulder. An MRI led to three shoulder surgeries, a rotator cuff surgery and finally a nerve-transfer surgery from his elbow to shoulder.
“The first surgery didn’t go well and neither did the second,” he said. “Looking back, I wish I would have just done rehab. I took a chance, and it didn’t work.”
His doctors said he would never throw again, and he briefly thought about hanging it up. Instead, Brown decided to prove them wrong, going to the gym three to four days a week and doing rehab every day without fail for almost three years.
“It hurt just to hold onto the pull-up bar; but after six months, it stopped hurting,” he explained. “After another six months I could do half a pullup. After three years, I got to where I could do one solid pull up. It’s been six years since then, and now I can do three sets of 20 good pullups.”
Brown didn’t pick up a javelin for five years, but the hard work paid off when he returned to the 2018 Florida Senior Games and proved to be best in the 65-69 age group. At the 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, Brown won the gold medal with a throw of 150 feet, 8 inches — 13 feet farther than the silver medalist.
Beyond his redemptive performance, the comeback journey reinforced Brown’s pure love of enjoying sports with others.
“There’s just something about the camaraderie of the Games and the people,” he said. “Sure, I can go fishing or play golf; but it doesn’t get the juices flowing like being at a meet.”
The easygoing thrower enjoys seeing people of all abilities in Senior Games.
“You don’t have to perform at a certain level to start in local games,” he advised. “Don’t be embarrassed; just try, and you’re part of the fraternity. Who knows, maybe you do get good at something.”
After a moment, Brown concluded, “To be the best fan, you have to be an athlete. That way, you get to see everything!”
