GLOBE SPORTS NOTEBOOK Essex sprinter gets better with age
Roger Pierce is a man on the run. And at
65, he shows no signs of slowing down; in fact, he just might be getting
faster. Last
month, the Essex sprinter competed in the World Masters Indoor Track &
Field Championships in Kamloops, British Columbia, and returned with two gold
medals and a pair of silvers. He earned gold in the 400 meters, as well as
running a leg with the 4x200 USA relay team, and silver in the 60 and 200.
His runner-up finishes were photos and totaled less than half a second. Nonetheless,
Pierce was pleased with his showing, and now he owns 13 golds in World
Masters competition to go along with his 27 indoor and
outdoor US national golds. He’s won his other world titles in various
age groups in venues in Australia, Spain, Austria, Puerto Rico, and Italy. Not bad
for a man who didn’t start running seriously until he was 39, because
“I was upset with myself for not staying in shape.’’ He was
very much in shape, though, when he competed at Beverly High in the early
1960s and then as a walk-on at Northeastern in the late ’60s and early
’70s. Both those schools eventually found room for him in their Halls
of Fame — Beverly in 2004 and Northeastern in 2008. The USATF also
inducted him into its hall in 2008. “Sprinters
were pretty much done after their college days back when I
competed,’’ recalled the 5-foot-5, 139-pound Pierce. “There
were no programs or age groups back then, so no matter how hard you trained,
you were always going to get beat by the younger guys. As age groups
developed, things started to get more interesting and more
inviting.’’ Pierce
was an assistant track coach at Stoneham in the early ’70s and then
head coach at Beverly in 1993. He taught English in the Woburn school system
before leaving that job to concentrate on music. He became a master on the
12-string guitar, turned professional, and still performs at pubs and coffee
houses in the North Shore area. His
return to competitive running came in 1984. One day, he stumbled across a masters track meet in Waltham. He was 39, ran in the 30-39
age group, and finished third behind two men in
their early 30s. “It
was at that point I decided to get into shape and compete on a serious
level,’’ he said. “At 40, I won the 50-yard dash at the
Eastern Masters Championship and after that I felt good enough and motivated
enough to continue. I knew if I stayed in shape I could compete on a high level.
I pretty much stayed local until I discovered there were national and world
championships out there for men my age and older.’’ Pierce
said training is the key to his success, but that it can’t be overdone.
He trains every other day doing intervals of walking and sprinting and
figures he averages just 2 1/2 miles a week. “I’m
not trying to be 18; I am who I am,’’ said Pierce. “I want
to be the best I can at the age I am and that’s 65. I want to challenge
myself. People are always asking me when I am going to run the Boston
Marathon and I always tell them I’m not. I’m a sprinter. If I
can’t see the finish line, I’m not getting into the
race.’’
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