DVD Review: Shattering preconceptions about ageing and sport

Abstract

About half way through this inspiring and very moving documentary, I realised I was no longer shocked by the competitors' wrinkles and grey hair. I was as absorbed in the lives and athletic training programmes of the protagonists in Racing Against the Clock as I was when I watched the classic bodybuilding film Pumpin' Iron. Both films offer behind-the-scenes looks at competitors who push their bodies to the extreme. But whereas I admired the dedication of “20-something” guys grunting as they lifted heavy weights, seeing a 75-year-old woman competing to break the pole vaulting record took my breath away. Racing Against the Clock chronicles the efforts of five women aged 50–82 years to qualify for the World Masters Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico in June, 2003. The youngest, Jacqueline Board, is 50 years old; a sharecropper's daughter and one of 13 children, Board discovers that running is an effective antidote to poverty, abuse, and depression—and the key to success in both athletic competition and other areas of her life. At the other end of the spectrum, 82-year-old Margaret Hinton inspires awe and envy among the residents in her retirement home as she sprints and jumps her way through competition after competition. In the USA, 77 million people are older than age 50 years; 9 million of these are active; 200 000 compete in Senior Olympic events; 1500 make it to national championships; 150 make it to the world championship. In the USA, 77 million people are older than age 50 years; 9 million of these are active; 200 000 compete in Senior Olympic events; 1500 make it to national championships; 150 make it to the world championship. Lenore McDaniels, 75, recalls pole vaulting as a child during the depression (1930s); now she acknowledges “slowing down” a bit as she “gets older”—but she is still determined to win. Pat Peterson, 77, recovered three times from cancer and is the oldest person ever to receive a stem cell transplant; she competes in track and field events, enjoying the camaraderie as much as the challenge. 56-year-old Philippa Raschker is the oldest athlete ever to be honoured among the top amateur athletes in America; the fifth-place honouree is 38 years older than the young man who was placed first. Racing Against the Clock stands as a tribute to the human spirit and a challenge to anyone who thinks that being older than 50—or 60, 70, 80 years, or beyond—means it's time to give up one's dreams. In fact, as these women show, it might just be the time to make one's dreams come true.