Most athletes start to lose their mojo as they get older and dickie knees and other injuries and just plain old age start to impact on speed, strength, flexibility and recovery times
But there’s one group of athletes in Nelson who are getting better as they get older, or at least are getting slower at a much slower rates, and they have been putting out the numbers to prove it.
In fact, the men in the 50-59 age group, and a few in the 60-69, in this summer’s Port Nelson Sea Swims have been showing up many of the younger competitors. The top 50-59 swimmers, Hamish Neill, Denis Cooper and Chris Vincent, and fastest 60-69 swimmer, Ben van Dyke, were regular top 15 finishers during the popular 14-race series.
In one swim on March 3, eight of the male 50-59 swimmers were in the top 20 compared to just two 30-39 swimmers and no 20-29 swimmers. Some of the older females are pretty fast as well with top 40-49 swimmer Kerry Mathieson and fastest 50-59 swimmer Christina Harris also top 15 regulars.
“It’s an age and stage thing,” race director Dick Bennison, who is also one of the fastest 60-69 age groupers, says. “It’s been like that for the last six or seven years with those 40-49 and 50-59 age groups.
“There are a number of reasons for it and, I think, one of them is that there are a lot of broken-down runners in that age group and they are transitioning into swimming because it’s another competitive sport that is low impact.
“It’s also the the largest age group by far with 46 swimmers so they have weight in numbers. The next biggest group is the 40-50 men with 34 swimmers.”
Another factor, according to Ben is that the older swimmers have more time to train than the 20-49 age group who, he says, are too busy working, paying off mortgages sand looking after young families.
” I was a competitive swimmer when I was young but stopped in my mid-twenties because I was so busy. Then you get to 40 or 50 and you start to realise you are not fit and you want to get it all back.”
Hamish agrees with Ben, adding that swimming is one of the few sports where older competitors can hold their speed because it is “so dependent on technique”. Denis and Ben say they are also lucky in Nelson because there is a dedicated group of veteran swimmers who regularly train together in the pool and sea.
“There’s a group of us who have been swimming in the sea four or five times week since Christmas,” Ben says. “We usually swim about three kilometres so it’s a good endurance workout and it’s enjoyable – the sun comes up and you get glassy water, it’s just beautiful.”
Although the veterans can’t keep up with the young speedster like series winners Thomas Heaton and Talya Harwood, Denis says they still enjoy the rivalry among their own age group and are always striving to find more speed.
“I think I’m getting faster as I get older,” Denis says. “The only thing is that these young swimmers are getting faster, a lot faster than I am.”
The Port Nelson Sea Swim series averaged 136 swimmers each night with a total of 1915 swims. Category and age group winners were Non-wet suit long course: Luke Kelly and Cheryl de Lange; non-wetsuit short course: Sean Trengrove and Mandy Medcalf-Stephens. Long course, wetsuit: Matai McGuinniety and Georgie Trengrove under-16; Hayden Squance and Talya Harwood 16-19; Jody Keefe-Laing and Megan Falloon 20-29; Greg Dykzeul and Ruth Thomas 30-39; Terry Bone and Kerry Mathieson 40-49; Hamish Neill and Denis Cooper 1= and Christina Harris 50-59; Ben van Dyke and Margaret Johnston 60-69; Derek Eaton 60-69. Short course: Josh Sheridan and Finella Gibbs-Beal under-16; Robert Sheridan and Mandy Medcalf-Stephens open.
