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| Wonderloper van tachtig | Geplaatst op: 2006-10-11 12:11 |
Wonder runner: 80-year-old prepares for 10th Le Grizz ultramarathon Door Betsy Cohen  Bob Hayes in training vlakbij zijn huis in Evaro. Zijn vrouw begeleidt hem. Zaterdag gaat hij van start in de 10e Le Grizz 50 mijlen ultra-marathon © Tom Bauer Evaro- Bob Hayes is about to become a Montana legend. This Saturday, Hayes will lace up his running shoes as he does nearly every day and take to the trail to run his 10th Le Grizz ultramarathon - a 50-mile journey through the timber along the Hungry Horse Reservoir.When he crosses the finish line, Hayes will rank among the rugged few who have completed the race. Hell be inaugurated into the �� Bears Den,” which honors the commitment, perseverance, injury management and mental tenacity of runners who have finished the race 10 times. Beginner And hell be the first to reach the milestones at the age of 80.This years goal is to match or improve last years race time of 10 hours, 13 minutes, Hayes said.“Every year you get slower,” he said. “I hope to run it in 10 hours, but you never know, it could be 11.”Lean and wind-whipped like a greyhound, Hayes runs with the rolling steady gate of a man half his age. The joke is, he said, hes but a newcomer to the sport.“I started running when I was 60 and I was so slow I couldnt injure myself,” he said, “so I just kept going.”A life of timber cruising and ranching kept him healthy, he said, but running has made him fit and the training for ultramarathons has made him think more purposefully about nutrition and calorie intake. Now, at the age of 80, on the brink of making running history in the states oldest ultramarathon, Hayes said hes in the best shape of his life. Nieuwe schoenen Tom Hayes remembers his childhood days when Bob, his father, used to chide him and his younger brother, Andy, about their competitive running, and made fun of their “running around.”“Because Dad used to go out and evaluate timber, he was walking through the woods, up and down mountains all day all of the time and getting huge amounts of exercise, so when we were in school he thought it was humorous that we ran for our exercise,” Tom Hayes said. “Now hes a runner who cant be stopped.”At 60, Hayes stepped into his first pair of running shoes when the family pitched in to help keep the Evaro Community Center going by hosting a 5K and 10K race on a portion of their ranch.At the time, he wasnt feeling as fit as he would have liked, and that perhaps age was catching up to him.“I thought well maybe we should all sign up and do the race,” Hayes said. “So I went out and started running in my logging boots and jeans and Tom shouted out at me, ‘Dad, you arent running in those boots and he went and bought me some running shoes.” Duo About 70 people ran in the fundraiser. Hayes had so much fun, a few weeks later when Stevensville held a 10K race, Hayes thought, “Why not?”“I had a good time,” he said, “and it just went from there; Ive been running ever since.” Over the years, his relentless enthusiasm for trail running has coaxed other family members to join him on runs through the woods and to enter ultramarathon races around the West.The timing was right for Tom. He had long been been running marathons on pavement and was beginning to feel the years of pounding in his knees. Trail running and ultramarathons were the perfect antidote.Hayes wife, Ann, ran beside him over the years, but at 77, Anns balance isnt what it used to be, so shes resigned herself to walking some of the courses.In June, despite a few tumbles and a bloodied knee during a long and steep downhill stretch, Ann - with cheerleading from Hayes - completed an 18-mile section of Wyomings Big Horn Wild and Scenic 100 Miler.Most days, Hayes runs with his cairn terrier, Jack.The duo run five to 10 miles three times a week all year-round, and stretch it out for a longer run once a week. De voorbereiding Training for summer and fall ultramarathons usually begins late spring, with long runs starting out at about 10 to 12 miles. Hayes adds a few miles to the long runs each week, eventually building up to a 30-mile run once a week or every 10 days. He runs out his back door, on the logging roads that criss-cross the hills above his ranch, and sometimes he drives to Ovando, where he heads into the mountains for a five- to six-hour run on the ranch his daughter, Suzanne, manages with her husband.Over the years he keeps learning how to fine-tune his training program.In many regards, hes a maverick. He doesnt stretch before he runs; he wears the same running shoes for chores around the house; and hell run in the same pair of shoes for upward of two years, or until his knees or feet hurt.He confesses he usually wears the wrong gear for the days weather, but he always sports a ball cap with a feather poked in it.He mixes up an assortment of steep hills, rolling hills and flat runs; other days he does interval training to build his lungs.In order to get a long run in, he likes to run 20 to 25 miles one day, immediately followed by 5 to 10 miles the next day.“If you do your long run in a 24-hour period your body counts it as one run, and its just easier to do it that way,” he said. “A 30-miler takes about seven hours, and Ann gets a little nervous when Im gone that long, so 20 miles is easier all the way around.”When it comes to training, Hayes experiments with what works - methods hes tried and proven on his own. Voeding “I keep thinking if I had a personal trainer I would do a lot better,” he said. “I got looking around and I cant find any information on training for older runners - someone who is age 65 or older.“Then I get to thinking I know as much as anyone on the topic, and I dont think about it so much,” he said. “I also know its easier to stay motivated when you have a schedule and a goal. That gets you off the couch.”Hayes inherited good genes from his grandfather, helping him stay healthy this long, he said, but he admits hes also pretty careful about what he eats.“I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, not too many eggs, and just a little fat,” Hayes said. But his blue eyes twinkle when he admits his diet also includes his homemade doughnuts - usually on a daily basis.A typical breakfast for Hayes includes two dishes of oatmeal with raisins, half a grapefruit, stewed prunes, a cup of coffee and water. Lunch is often a peanut butter and banana sandwich, a few crackers, dried fruit and coffee.“For supper, I usually cook up a big batch of something that I eat for three or four days - like spaghetti,” Hayes said. He eats a big salad at dinner, and because he likes to bake, homemade french bread and apple pie usually round out the meal.“I eat pretty much the same thing, and I try to drink eight glasses of water a day.” On the morning of race days, Hayes usually eats two or three bowls of cold cereal, a banana and a doughnut.During the race, he tries to eat about 200 calories an hour - about 2,000 calories - for the 10 hours it will take to run 50 miles. Its hard to eat anything when youre running far - especially after 30 or 40 miles, Hayes said, but fruit and Hammer gel, a carbohydrate energy goo, are what help him get to the finish line. De andere lopers Cracking jokes along the way, spiced up with some hooting and hollering and story swapping with other competitors are his other keys to success.Hes heard all kinds of tales on the trail - about places hes never been, wild canoe trips and great misadventures.And with 50 miles of trail ahead of you theres plenty of time to think about what you left behind, Hayes said. “Sometimes I think about what I have to do at home - get my wood supply in or finish shingling the roof or some other job that still needs to be done,” he said. “I think about other people, and when Im really tired I look around I see other people are tired, too.“Thats when I like to ask other runners, ‘Are you still having fun yet? Sometimes I get a pretty glum look.“Then I watch the scenery, and before you know it, its over.”On Saturday, Hayes and his canine companion Jack will hit the trail with 75 other runners in the Le Grizz.The newbies will get a treat - encouragement from Hayes, who now knows every turn and rock in the course - and a lot of good stories.Ann and Tom will meet the duo every five miles, supplying water and snacks, and Jack will catch a ride in the car on and off throughout the day.When Jacks not around to distract him, and hes taking in the scenery, Hayes will be thinking about what the heck to do with the 10 Bears trophy hell get at the end of his 10-hour run.“Its a great big juniper board with a clock on it and a plaque,” Hayes said. “Its so big, I think the only place you can put it is in the garage.” © Missoulian |
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