Fergus Surprises!

Fergus is one of the most amazing athletes that I have ever met. He first began running when he was 63. After about 2 years of running he signed up for and ran the Grandma's Marathon. He and his daughter ran it together, and they finished just in time before they tore down the finish line scaffolding.

Since that one went well, so he followed that one up with the Des Moines Marathon which didn't go so well. The head of the Fergus' femur actually broke at mile 16 of that race...and he finished the 26 miles. Needless to say that one laid him up for a while. However, you can't keep an old dog down...he has been back to running 5K's and 10K's since then.

In November, he ran the Nashville Half Marathon, which is where these pictures are from:


Photo: Cheering Fergus on at Mile 10.



Photo: Mile 11.5...still going.

So now is the time that I will let the secret out...Fergus is my dad. And at 67 years old he is amazing to me. In this race he even got 2nd in his age group. (He came in 2nd behind Thomas DePaulis, if you know who that is.)


Photo: Coach/Son Steve and the award winner Fergus.

Fergus continues to impress me. One thing that recently blew me away was when Susan and I visited home for Christmas. Dad did all the cooking. We were treated to chicken breast, rice, steamed vegetables, and fresh greens. Cooking at home and very healthy food is not what I have expected in the past from "The Ferg."

The next quest is another Marathon. Now when you are as slow as Fergus, you can't just sign up for any race. Or you will have the ambulance or a police car driving behind you as they tear down the course. In his first 5K they made him finish on the sidewalk. So he has determined that the Chicago Marathon is the most walker-friendly course he can find. "I think that at my pace, there will be about 1000 people finishing behind me" he said.

How does someone at age 67 and carrying a few extra lbs run distances like half marathon and marathon? Fergus uses a strictly walk-run format. He usually alternates 2 minutes walk - 2 minutes run, although for shorter distances he can sometimes do mostly run. He also uses a heart rate monitor. Running is much more comfortable and enjoyable in the correct training zone, which your HR monitor will help you find.

But a marathon is going to be a big challenge, especially in the state of Iowa that is covered in snow 4-5 months a year. This past break I finally got him into some water aerobics. in a pool that is 93 degrees, that is a great way to cross train and stretch the muscles out. I also introduced him to the elliptical trainer, which will allow him to build aerobic fitness without beating up the knees. Finally I provided him some of my favorite bioenergetic nutrition suppliment, Ageless Xtra.