thedrifter
07-17-07, 06:32 AM
No rocking chair for this former Marine
COREY FRIEDMAN
July 16, 2007 - 11:17PM
FREEDOM ENC
Nobody can keep up with Elon Bradford. He has a 15-year head start.
A wiry 82-year-old athlete who brought gold and bronze medals from the Senior Olympics to Havelock two weeks ago, Bradford said his training regimen puts him ahead of the pack.
"I train all year round for this - six days a week, 52 weeks a year," he said. "A lot of people running train for 30 days, and they can't compete with me that way. It makes a world of difference."
Bradford has competed in the Senior Games locally and nationally for 15 years, and his persistence paid off at the Senior Olympics, the nationwide version of the state games, June 30 to July 2 in Louisville, Ky.
He took the gold medal in 5 kilometer race walking with a time of 27 minutes, 50 seconds - a full 4 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. He also finished third, earning the bronze medal, in 1500-meter race walking with a time of 10 minutes and 20 seconds.
"I always hope to win, but it was a big surprise to both me and my wife," he said. "It's something you always hope for and when it happens, it's just unbelievable."
Bradford's fastidious training routine includes a brisk three-mile walk in the early morning hours. He walks the quarter-mile track at Havelock High School or makes circuits around his neighborhood.
"I walk before I eat breakfast, because if you have a full stomach, it slows you down a little bit," he said, adding, "It gives you good physical conditioning."
Competing in the 80-to-84-year-old division, Bradford qualified for the national games by placing first in both the 5K and 1500m race walking events at the North Carolina Senior Games. The top three seniors in each event advance to the nationals.
Bradford and his wife Dorothy made the trek to Kentucky expecting a challenge and hoping for a win.
"She always helps me make sure I do everything right," Bradford said. "She's my greatest credit."
The senior athlete retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as an aviation mechanic in 1965 and decided to stay in Havelock, where he's lived since. He serves as chaplain for the Havelock Senior Citizens Club.
He and Dorothy have four children "spread out all over the country," he said, with one in Jacksonville, one in Cary, one in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one in Dallas.
It was during a family vacation that Bradford first noticed senior athletes competing in a regional event, and he considered it a good way to get in shape.
"I saw all these people walking around with numbers on their backs, and I said, 'What was that?'" he remembered.
Ellie
COREY FRIEDMAN
July 16, 2007 - 11:17PM
FREEDOM ENC
Nobody can keep up with Elon Bradford. He has a 15-year head start.
A wiry 82-year-old athlete who brought gold and bronze medals from the Senior Olympics to Havelock two weeks ago, Bradford said his training regimen puts him ahead of the pack.
"I train all year round for this - six days a week, 52 weeks a year," he said. "A lot of people running train for 30 days, and they can't compete with me that way. It makes a world of difference."
Bradford has competed in the Senior Games locally and nationally for 15 years, and his persistence paid off at the Senior Olympics, the nationwide version of the state games, June 30 to July 2 in Louisville, Ky.
He took the gold medal in 5 kilometer race walking with a time of 27 minutes, 50 seconds - a full 4 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. He also finished third, earning the bronze medal, in 1500-meter race walking with a time of 10 minutes and 20 seconds.
"I always hope to win, but it was a big surprise to both me and my wife," he said. "It's something you always hope for and when it happens, it's just unbelievable."
Bradford's fastidious training routine includes a brisk three-mile walk in the early morning hours. He walks the quarter-mile track at Havelock High School or makes circuits around his neighborhood.
"I walk before I eat breakfast, because if you have a full stomach, it slows you down a little bit," he said, adding, "It gives you good physical conditioning."
Competing in the 80-to-84-year-old division, Bradford qualified for the national games by placing first in both the 5K and 1500m race walking events at the North Carolina Senior Games. The top three seniors in each event advance to the nationals.
Bradford and his wife Dorothy made the trek to Kentucky expecting a challenge and hoping for a win.
"She always helps me make sure I do everything right," Bradford said. "She's my greatest credit."
The senior athlete retired from the U.S. Marine Corps as an aviation mechanic in 1965 and decided to stay in Havelock, where he's lived since. He serves as chaplain for the Havelock Senior Citizens Club.
He and Dorothy have four children "spread out all over the country," he said, with one in Jacksonville, one in Cary, one in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one in Dallas.
It was during a family vacation that Bradford first noticed senior athletes competing in a regional event, and he considered it a good way to get in shape.
"I saw all these people walking around with numbers on their backs, and I said, 'What was that?'" he remembered.
Ellie