Running in a 50-mile ultramarathon is impressive for anyone, but for someone over 70, the feat could be called remarkable. Lee Dougherty, 74, completed his second Baker Trail UltraChallenge, a 50-mile race on the Baker Trail, on August 24th. Dougherty ran his first marathon, a 26.2-mile race, in 1973. “Someone asked me if I had ever run in a marathon before, and I said, ‘No, but I think I will,’” he said. Since that time, Doughtery has run in over 130 marathons, including the well-known Boston Marathon 10 times, as well as three 100-mile races, including the Leadville 100, a race in Colorado known for its grueling course. These days, Doughtery said the only marathon he participates in is the one here in his hometown of Pittsburgh. He also mostly participates in trail races and runs, such as the Baker UltraChallenge. He typically runs four to five times a week. “Running on trails is easier on the body. I run primarily with South Park Trail Runners, North Park Trail Runners, and City of Bridges Running Club,” he said.
Dougherty runs for a variety of reasons, including the conditioning and longevity aspects, but he also runs for the camaraderie of other runners. “I just enjoy it so much. Running is really part of my life, and the running community is just great,” he said. Doughtery often runs with friends, but he joked, “Runners in my age group do thin out as time goes on. Sometimes all I have to do is show up to a race to place in my age group.”
When Paula Franetti, 68, was growing up in the 1960s, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for young women in sports. “I went to Immaculate Conception, a small Catholic High School, where the only sport available for girls was basketball. I loved playing sports with the guys in my neighborhood and discovered I was a natural athlete. When the opportunity presented itself to play on an actual team, I jumped at it and fell in love with the game of basketball and the camaraderie of team sports,” she said. “I continued pursuing basketball and was fortunate enough to play for the Penn State Lady Lions 1974 -’77,” she said. Now, Franetti competes in basketball and volleyball in Pennsylvania and the National Senior Games.
Over the years, Franetti has participated in numerous sports, including volleyball, running, pickleball, and swimming, along with basketball. But after multiple severe injuries from a catastrophic automobile accident in 2016, it looked like Franetti would never walk again, let alone participate in sports. “Using what I know from being a rehab specialist and exercise physiologist, I was able to follow the instructions of my medical team and knew how to push enough to cause my body to keep adapting to getting stronger,” she said. “Slowly, I started to hit itty bitty mile-marker improvements, which inspired me to keep moving toward the goal of just feeling better and better.”
Franetti now uses her professional and personal experiences in healthcare, sports, and her own recovery to assist others through her business, Rebound Planner. “My motivation now is to inspire others to act on the opportunity to be the best you can be, no matter what life-changing health challenge comes your way,” she said.
For Franetti, competing and participating in the Senior Games gives her a reason to train for the sports that she loves. “Being committed to living a healthy, independent life is so much easier when I am committed to a team sport. It motivates me to exercise aerobically, lift weights, stretch, and challenge my agility and balance,” she said. “My inner drive to be my best is awakened and challenged by the sport. If I don’t train, I know I won’t contribute much to my team, so I do my best to stay in shape no matter what age I am. I plan to continue using sports to challenge my physical health and mental well-being for as long as I can.”
Bob Bradley, 76, competes in softball through the Northern Allegheny County Senior Softball League (NACSSL) to satisfy his competitive drive. “This is my 61st year of softball. I love it because I am very competitive, and it helps me stay in shape,” he said. Bradley said over the years, he has suffered some injuries and other health issues, but playing ball is fun, and he enjoys being around his teammates. “Plus, there is the mental part of it – it keeps me sharp that way too,” he said.
According to Ron Zankey, President of the NACSSL, there are two divisions for those 50 years and older in the league, with 224 players on 16 teams. The season runs May through August, including playoffs. Like Bradley, he likes to play for the competition aspect and to stay in shape. “We take the game very seriously. It is a very competitive league – we have tryouts and a draft,” he said. Players range in age from 50 to 86, the latter a player who “is still a very productive member of his team,” Zankey said.
Laura and Brent Evans, both 60, are avid slalom water-skiers. Laura Evans has skied since she was six. “I grew up in Michigan on Lake St. Clair, and my Dad had me out learning to ski at a very young age. I didn’t really get hooked on slalom skiing until I was in my 20s though. I quickly became addicted to learning how to cut and master a slalom course,” she said. Brent Evans was 12 when he started skiing. “I didn’t start slaloming until Laura got me into it right after we got married at 31,” he said.
Although the Hampton couple doesn’t compete, they train with various pros in Florida and Virginia. “It is the one sport where amateurs like us can get coached by top 10 ranked pros. Since it is not lucrative to be a waterski professional, most pros also run ski schools where they coach other professionals, youth, and elders like us,” Laura Evans said. Brent Evans added, “I haven’t competed yet. But there are some strong considerations after retirement. The awesome thing about this sport is that there are amateurs competing up into their 80s.”
The couple both enjoy various aspects of the sport. “It just gets into your blood. It is an addictive sport and an adrenaline rush to carve up the water and try to have a clean pass through the course. It really wasn’t until we were in our 50s that we learned all the proper techniques,” Laura Evans said, “Now that we have gained so much knowledge from the pros, we just want to keep progressing.”
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