G.R.R. GREY RIGHTS for RUNNERS

Grey Rights for Runners, we are runners too.

You are a runner right?

There are many types of runners, from Elites at one end of the finishers list to the Social Runners at the other end and all those in between. However, there are bonds that hold us together.

Such as; we all crave the recognition of our fellow runners, just check out Facebook just after an event.

There is another common thread; we all get older with every day that passes.

Getting older in distance running forever brings us nearer to that dreaded age of decline, somewhere around forty, so they say, our bodies will begin to slow, year by year at an ever increasing rate. No amount of additional training can get it back; we oldies can only hope to slow it down. With two-thirds of a century under my belt I can attest to that.

At or near that appointed time of decline there is a runners lifeline: Veteran status, where running life begins afresh, suddenly, you can become competitive again, not just within yourself, as it may have been in the last few years, but also amongst your fellow veterans.

Competition with your peers; to stand atop of the oldies, to be crowned kings and queens of the grey brigade or become champion of the orang lama.

But the physical decline is ever with us, so what happens at 50 or 60 or 70 ………

Well, as age further slows us down most race-organisers condemn us to the scrap heap of obscurity, we now have nothing more than slipping further behind the new forties to look forward to.

So, having run races in the USA, Bhutan, Iceland and South Africa over the past year and experienced age grouping results, and small tokens of achievement, I have been inspired to campaign for my GREY RIGHTS in running events both here, at home in Malaysia, and across the world wide running community.

Age Grouping will prolong so many ‘careers’ and encourage so many to start, or better, not to stop their running.

Junior Veterans 40 – 49

Veterans 50 – 59

Senior Veterans 60 – 69

Junior Masters 70 – 79

Masters 80 – 89

Senior Masters 90 – 99

Old Masters 100 plus Vermeer.

We don’t need cash prizes, although a special medal would be nice, but just to be recognised as being competitive within our age group, that is all we ask.

How difficult is it to sort a list into age groups, which would be a great start to recognising the support and achievements of the older runners at an event.

Highlighting the achievements of age group runners will also have the added benefit of attracting further older generation runners, we all know that seeing is believing.

The cost of recognising older runners, even if medals were awarded, is negligible but the exposure is invaluable.