Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete

Champaign, IL-"Think of them," writes journalist Lee Bergquist, "as role models for an aging America."

In Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete (Human Kinetics, May 2009) Bergquist takes us on a fascinating and inspiring journey into the lives of older men and women who push their bodies with the vigor and passion of youth.

There is no silver bullet to living a long and healthy life, but experts agree that regular exercise is good ammunition. This is especially important as obesity rates climb, and over the next two decades, the Social Security Administration estimates that 10,000 Baby Boomers will become eligible for retirement every day.

Bergquist, an award winning newspaper reporter, profiles an array of athletes who have used their sport and training regimens to turn back the aging clock. Their stories upend old notions about growing old. Certainly there are those who are blessed with good genes and incredible talent.  "But many," he writes, "simply find that an athletic act, executed with old bones and muscle, can give meaning to life in ways that love and religion can not."

Their stories include:

·         A plumber who took up running marathons and weightlifting after a heart transplant.

·         A retired Washington State Supreme Court Justice, plagued with chronic neck and back pain, who started lifting weights and eventually became a champion power lifter.

·         A trio of men in their 50s who are swimming faster than their college days. One swimmer sold his southern California car dealership and became a life guard. His goal is to become the oldest person to swim the English Channel.

·         A 75-year-old grandmother who beat cancer, survived a skull fracture and continues to compete in long-distance ski races.

            For more information on Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete or other sports and fitness books, visit www.HumanKinetics.com or call 800-747-4457.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lee Bergquist, an environmental writer, has won three national reporting awards for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A decision to take up competitive sprinting during his 40s led to his writing Second Wind. He is 55 and exercises by participating in a variety of sports, ranging from running to skateboarding. He lives in Whitefish Bay, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

CONTENTS 

1: From Bench to Bench Press

Faith Ireland, a former state supreme court justice, used the weight room to overcome chronic pain. She moved from tiny dumbbells to record-setting marks in powerlifting. 

2: The Comeback

Three former athletes describe how-and why-they got back in the game.

3: Older and Faster

Talent, ambition and using world-class training techniques have enabled some middle-aged swimmers to turn in their fastest times ever.

4: American Birkebeiner

The race is a marathon on snow and goal of many is ski 20 Birkies. Barb Klippel, 75, has overcome cancer and a scull fracture as she nears her 20th Birkie.

5: Fabulous Abs

In his 40s, bodybuilder Clarence Bass experimented briefly with steroids and found that a low-fat, whole-grain diet worked better.  Now at 70, he seeks perfection in the aging human form.

6: I Want to Be a Winner

How Philippa Raschker has lived and trained to become the greatest age-group track and field athlete of all time.

7: A Runner’s Heart

Greg Osterman runs marathons after a heart transplant.

8: Ironwoman

When perennial triathlete champion Laura Sophiea finishes an Ironman, she collapses at the finish line in arms of medical personnel. It’s a typical finish - there is nothing else to give.

9: Streakers

There is a subculture of runners who never take a day off. The author joins a retired mail carrier on the final day of his 38-year streak. 

10: Swimming Against the Tide

Former Olympic swimmer Gail Roper has overcome chauvinism, indifference and serious injury to continue breaking records in her 80s.

11: Racing Across America

Randy Van Zee held down a full-time job and rode more than 1,000 miles a week to train for a cross-country race. Afterwards, it took seven months for body to heal.

12: Marathon Man

The true benchmark of a runner’s endurance is the marathon. Don McNelly’s specialty: He’s finished more than 40 marathons after the age of 85.

Questions for Lee Bergquist

Describe how you became interested in profiling the diverse older athletes you cover in Second Wind.

What motivates older men and women to remain physically active?

Why are some older athletes able to achieve performances that would have been considered unthinkable a generation ago?

Are there key traits that all the athletes you interviewed share?

Why is the number of older athletes growing today while physical activity in general is declining?

What can we learn from active older adults?

What can the men and women in Second Wind teach readers about avoiding injury and keeping interest levels high?

What separates the average 65-year-old person from the individuals in Second Wind?

Over what period of time have you been interested in the topic and interviewed the subjects in the book?

What surprised you most throughout your interviews with these older athletes?

How have sports impacted other areas of life for you and other masters athletes?

Background Facts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the United States is on the brink of a "longevity revolution." By 2030, the number of older Americans will have doubled to seventy million - one in five people. (Bergquist, Second Wind)

Most people achieve their peak bone mass in their 30s.  After that, the strength and density of bones begin to decline.  Exercising slows the process of decline and helps prevent fractures and osteoporosis. (National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
Most Americans begin to gain weight in midlife, putting on 3-4 pounds a year. But since men start to lose muscle in their 40s, that extra weight is typically fat. The loss of muscle continues, eventually reducing a man’s musculature by up to 50%, which contributes to weakness and disability.  (Harvard Health Publications)

The average 65-year-old can expect an additional 12.7 years of healthy life-meaning he will live disability free until age 77.7.  Highly active 65-year-olds, however, have an additional 5.7 years of healthy life expectancy.  They will remain disability free until age 83.4.  (National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)

Poor physical function is associated with an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in elderly adults. (Archives of Internal Medicine)

Staying physically active and exercising regularly can help prevent or delay many diseases and disabilities.  Even moderate exercise and physical activity can improve the health of seniors who are frail, or who have diseases that accompany aging. (National Institutes of Health)