These profiles include an eighty-year-old woman who swims a mile each day; a bicycle racer in his seventies; a sea-kayaker in his eighties; a ninety-one-year-old runner; a seventy-five-year-old tennis champ who beats men twenty years younger than him; and many more. Each one is eloquent on the subject of how he or she came to discover sports, and in the story of each person's pre-sports life we see a beautiful cross-section of society: the office workers and laborers of the greatest generation, all set to their tasks and set to raising families, putting off athletics for another day. Their blooming as athletes late in life is in each case a source of wonder to them, a treasure trove they're only too happy to share.
As with First Marathons, this book is a marvelous slice of life, and testament to the powers of all humanity to strive and succeed. Anyone looking for the courage to start will find it here. This book will be voraciously read by Baby Boomers nearing retirement.
Gail Kislevitz is the author of First Marathons: Personal Encounters with the 26.2-mile Monster. She writes for numerous magazines, including Runner's World. She lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
