Amazing photos in link.  Zee

What a senior moment

Canuck marathon man, 74, smokes his rival, 71

BRIAN BETHUNE
For photos of Ed Whitlock's run
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/sports/article.jsp?content=20050425_104285_104285

More than 50 minutes after Jimmy Muindi sweeps smoothly to victory in
the Rotterdam Marathon, in an impressive time of 2:07:50, the cold and
rain of an April day by the North Sea have scattered his welcoming
party. The city's smiling mayor, Burgemeester Ivo Opstelten, last seen
presenting flowers to the top three finishers -- Kenyans to a man -- is
nowhere to be seen. Nor are the jostling photographers who fought to
capture the final sprint. Now the halt, the lame, the crumpled over
with dry heaves or diarrhea, and the just plain also-ran, stagger
across the finish line. Then, as the clock ticks ominously closer to
three hours -- the cut-off point for serious marathoners -- Ed Whitlock
hoves into view.

At 2:58:40, Canada's unlikeliest star athlete -- all five feet, seven
inches and 112 lb. of him -- crosses the line, sporting his ancient
running shoes, shock of white hair and a huge grin. Whitlock, 74, from
the Toronto suburb of Milton, is the only man over 70 ever to have
broken the three-hour mark. Now he's done it again, for the third time,
in the most prestigious race he's ever run. What's more, he's crushed
his only serious rival for the over-70 crown, Rotterdam hometown hero
Joop Ruter, 71, who arrives 14 minutes later. Back comes Burgemeester
Opstelten, with a fresh bunch of flowers, along with an entire Dutch TV
crew and several photographers.

Whitlock is a star entry in one of the world's Top 10 marathons -- in
another first for over-70 runners, organizers paid his way to Rotterdam
and reserved an elite starting position for him ahead of the 11,000
ordinary racers. When he finishes, the PA system goes back into
operation, trumpeting Whitlock's age and time. "I'm still recovering --
it was a tough last k," a disconcertingly relaxed Whitlock tells the
media. "I left Joop after about four kilometres. Then I spent much of
the race in a large crowd, trying to hide from the wind; I'm a bit of a
parasite that way. I was aiming for 2:57, so I lost a minute
somewhere," he concludes, a flicker of displeasure momentarily dimming
his smile. "But a good result anyway."

And not one Whitlock could ever have predicted when he emigrated to
Canada from his native England in 1952, part of an almost forgotten
trickle of British draft dodgers who wanted to avoid a two-year
National Service stint. He was a good, but not world-class,
middle-distance runner in the era of Roger Bannister's Miracle Mile.
Becoming a busy mining engineer and father of two sons (both now
runners), he abandoned competition until his 40s. Twenty years later he
moved into long distances.

Whitlock takes no supplements or vitamins, refuses to stretch before
races, trains by running in circles around a local cemetery after a
breakfast of tea and bread, and hasn't had a regular physical in 30
years. So that late start in marathon life -- which presumably has
limited the wear and tear on his body -- is observers' best explanation
for his success. Whitlock's having none of it, though. "I've been a
serious runner my whole life." He will allow for the luck of good genes
-- his mother died at 91, and an uncle recently passed away at 108. The
real answer likely has more to do with his mind. Hours after the
marathon, Whitlock declares, "It would have been a disgrace if I had
lost to Joop. I'm the one with the record time, he's the one who should
be intimidated by it. Obviously I have a competitive streak, but I'd
have been very upset if I felt people had any reason to think I hadn't
run well."

As for the future, there's the anticipated rematch with Ruter at
September's Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Shrugging off age and possible
injury, Whitlock's sure it will take place. "Joop said he'd come, and
so did I. Besides, I said I'd take him to Niagara Falls.