Sara Thompson and Fiona Callender
During our trip to Europe to visit the research labs, Fiona and I made a quick hop over to Lyon, France. The 2015 World Masters Track and Field Championships were under way while we were in Europe and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch while we were there. We originally heard about this event as we were trying to set up a meeting with Charles Eugster. Eugster is British born but lives and trains in Switzerland. Eugster is best known as “the world’s oldest bodybuilder”. Eugster was inactive for most of his life, and at the age of 87 decided to take up bodybuilding and wakeboarding! Since then he has become a local celebrity in Switzerland, earning numerous world titles in rowing, bodybuilding and running (for more information about Charles you can visit his website: http://www.charleseugster.net/home). In the past 6 months he achieved the world record for the 200m and 400m track and field events for the over 95 category. As we were trying to get in touch with him, we heard he was going to be at the World Masters Track and Field Championships this summer. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to Lyon in time to see his races but we did see the last two days of the event.
Going to Lyon was one of the best decisions we made this summer. It was absolutely inspiring to witness these athletes compete – and at such a high level. The first Masters championship in Track and Field was in 1975 in Toronto, when the World Association of Veteran Athletes was formed. 32 countries and 1,427 competitors partook in this championship. The 2015 World Masters Lyon this summer was the 21st championship with 114 countries competing and approximately 8000 athletes. Any athlete 35 or older is allowed to compete and there is no age limit – the oldest category is ages 85+, but there are many competitors well into their 90s!
The ages are categorized in groups of five years (35-39, 40-44, etc.). Each gender and age category competes in every track and field event that is offered at the Olympics. That means it takes around two weeks to actually get through all of the events. However, the lengthy competition doesn’t deter the athletes; in fact, they make a party out of it! They all know each other from past years and the Championships are one big reunion. The first day we showed up, we noticed a group of athletes enjoying some beer together after their races that morning.
The first day, we arrived right in time to witness the finals for the 80 metre hurdles. Let’s just let that sink in for a moment – there were athletes anywhere from 35 all the way up to the 85+ category who were doing hurdles. They start with the 35-39 year olds and work their way up to the oldest age group. Each respective country cheered on their athletes during their races. As the competition progressed to the older age categories, the entire stadium was on their feet cheering for the athletes. Everyone was out of their seats to cheer on the 60+ men and women running 80 metres down the track and leaping over obstacles. The hurdle heights ranged from 27 to 42 inches depending on the gender and age category. It was so inspiring to witness these aging athletes who continue to enjoy and compete in their sport.
The final day of the competition was the 4x400m relay. The relays were really amazing to witness, especially because we were cheering on fellow Canadians! There were a number of Canadian athletes who were competing that day and we sat with the team and cheered on those competing. During these relays we couldn’t help noticing the German team. They were an impressive and dominating force. I don’t know what they do differently from the other teams but watching these individuals run was jaw dropping. The 80-year-olds run like they’re 30! The German team placed 2nd overall, only to France, the hosting team. We didn’t have a chance to talk to these athletes in Lyon but we look forward to seeing them compete at future events.
Watching the World Masters Track and Field Championships was a highlight of our trip. We couldn’t believe what these athletes could do. To top it all off, all of the athletes are friends with each other. It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you’re from, if you used to compete at a high level of track and field, or if you just took up sprinting later in life. This is what makes the atmosphere of this annual event so positive. We can’t wait to attend another one of these events – maybe the World Masters in Australia 2016!