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Fifty-Plus Fitness Association 8-Kilometer Road Race

Grafius Three-Peats, Bernhard Wins Debut

Palo Alto, CA - On a weekend where Stanford Cardinal basketball was in the air, the weather was definitely for the ducks at the 19th Annual Fifty-Plus Fitness Association 8-Kilometer Road Race and 5-Kilometer Walk at Stanford University today. Under a persistent downpour, Dee Dee Grafius, 52, of Modesto, CA claimed her third straight victory in the women's race in a time of 31 minutes and 49 seconds. Tom Bernhard, 50, of Fremont, CA topped the men in 27:46 in his first appearance at this event. The race weathered its first rain storm since 1991, and served as the age 50 and above 8-Kilometer Championship for the Pacific Association of USA Track and Field. It culminated a weekend slate of health and fitness activities for senior adults age 50 and over.

This race is historically one of the world's finest examples of senior fitness. It is limited to runners age 50 and over with competitive age divisions through 90 years and above. This year, Jack Friedlander, 80, of Foster City, CA was the oldest finisher, completing the just-under-5-mile course at 10-minute per mile pace.

Grafius, cheered on by her daughter Amy (also a competitive runner), led from wire to wire. Melinda Morse, 50, of Pleasant Hill, CA and Melody Ann-Schultz, 60, of Ross, CA placed second and third respectively. Two-time Fifty-Plus winner, Barbara Miller, 62, of Modesto was fourth.

"I felt so good today, and was really kind of surprised," said Grafius, whose best events are 800-meter and mile events on the track. "My coach, Mary Shea, has had us doing only base work so far this year, no speed work, so I expect to get faster in the next few months."

Shea, the head women's track and cross country coach at Modesto Junior College, is a former All-American and U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier at 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

Bernhard was accompanied by last year's third-placer, Don Paul, for about half the race before he injected a surge that led to a convincing 26-second victory. Paul, 51, of San Francisco was second. Three-time race winner, Michael Dove, 55, of Salinas, CA placed third. Palo Alto, CA's Jim Gorman, last year's men's champion, followed in fourth.

"I thought the race was going to be between Don and myself today," Bernhard commented. "I've been slowly getting healthier and rounding into good shape, so I thought I had a pretty good chance. This is the first race I've placed first overall, so I couldn't be happier."

Frank Spada, 75, of Morro Bay, CA set a new race record in the men's 70-74 year-old division, finishing in an outstanding 39:51. Although many U.S. age records have been recorded here over the years, this year's wet conditions slowed most performances.

The winners of the judged 5K Race Walk were Jack Bray, 69, of Greenbrae, CA in 27:54, his sixth victory at Fifty-Plus, and Doris Cassels, 62, of San Rafael, CA in 31:22.

During the weekend's festivities, Denis Waitley, Ph.D, a productivity consultant and author of The Psychology of Winning, was awarded the Annual Emil Zatopek Award by the Fifty-Plus Fitness Association. Fifty-Plus created the award in 1991, named after the great Czechoslovakian distance runner who won three gold medals (5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon) at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. The feat has never been duplicated. This prestigious and one-of-a-kind award is bestowed to individuals who attain courageous and memorable achievements in sports and in life, and who, in doing so, inspire others (especially older individuals) to live a fit and active lifestyle. Recipients have included Stanford track coach legend Payton Jordan, U.S. marathoner Bill Rodgers, New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow, prolific running writer Joe Henderson, and decathlete Bill Toomey. The 2001 recipient was Kathrine Switzer, the female gender barrier-breaker at the 1967 Boston Marathon.

The Fifty-Plus Fitness Association is a non-profit, international organization based in Menlo Park, CA, with more than 2,000 members, committed to showing older adults the rewards and critical importance of an active lifestyle in improving their lives. See www.50plus.org for complete results. (Top results follow.)