Like the Ancient Greeks

Jim Hart, a personal trainer and amateur bodybuilder, let us know about a nude duathlon, which was held in June at the Sunny Rest Resort in Palmertown, Pa., in the Pocono Mountains. The race is part of a series of "clothing-optional" duathlons, 5ks and triathlons that are professionally run with timing chips and well-marked courses, according to Hart, who is 48. He said more than half of the competitors were 40 or older. Among the races in the series are the Running Bare 5k in Crossville, Tenn., and the Bare Hare Sprint Triathlon in Reidsville, N.C. Hart noted that the organizers of the events are named -- wait for it -- Gary and Sue Butts. On a more serious note, Hart pointed out that at the original Olympics in Greece the competitors wore no clothing. Of course, that would be impossible today. Where would you put the Nike swoosh?

A woman with pull

In July, Mary Jacobson, fitted with a harness, pulled a 250-ton steam engine five or six steps in Maryland. Jacobson, who competes in Strongwoman events, is 52.

Red, red resveratrol
Research has long confirmed that red wine mitigates the effects on the heart of a high fat diet . Now scientists believe they've isolated the key ingredient in red wine: resveratrol. But to equal the amounts of resveratrol given to mice in studies, a person would have to drink 35 bottles of wine a day. Tempting, I suppose, but not practical. So several companies are now offering resveratrol in a pill form. Maybe the pill would work even better if you washed it down with a glass of cabernet.

Happy birthday, Don

Donald L. Kjelleran is a gold medal-winning Senior Olympics athlete. He's also a mountain climber and describes himself as an adventurer. He turned 75 on June 1 and celebrated with an athletic challenge, as he usually does on big birthdays. Previously, he ran the New York Marathon during the year he turned 50. He climbed the Cascades volcano when he turned 60. For his 75th birthday, he bicycled from the Massachusetts state line across Vermont to the Canada border, a total of 188.53 miles, which he covered in slightly less than 16 hours, including rest time. "The scenery was top notch, gorgeous river scenes, farms, green pastures, mountains, and all the beauty that Vermont is known for," Kjelleran said. "Lake Willoughby near the end of the ride was an unbelievably outstanding sight. I have ridden century rides in all 50 states and I think this ride was a as gorgeous as any." He rode the route with his 42-year-old son, Donald F. Donald L.'s wife, Lorelei, was the on-road support. When it was over, Kjelleran pondered what he'd do for his 80th birthday. Instead of a ride across one state, maybe he'd ride across the entire country. "Lorelei," he said, "did not appear to be amused by the idea."

Running your age

"Running your age," similar to shooting your age in golf, is becoming an increasingly recognized achievement. Running your age is completing a 10k in fewer minutes than your age. For example, if you're 60, you'd have to run the 10k in less than an hour. I was made aware of this newly popular metric by a Frank Callahan of Evanston, Ill. He ran the Bolder Boulder, a 10k run in Boulder, Colo., in slightly more than 1:02:30.98 at age 67. "And that was at altitude," he pointed out. Duly noted, Dad.

Great Godfrey

Congratulations to Philip Godfrey, president-CEO of the National Senior Games Association, which stages the National Senior Games, also known as the Senior Olympics, every other year. In its July issue, SportsEvents Magazine selected Godfrey as one of its 25 innovators and influencers in the sports industry.

The Name Game

David Barnhart, Ed.D , also known as Dangerous Dave, calls his cycling buddies from Alabama [Team Redneck.] The four members of the team -- Eze Ed, Big Bad Bob and Tom Terrific, in addition to Dangerous Dave -- all qualified for the National Senior Olympics with their performances in the cycling road races and time trials in the Alabama Senior Olympics earlier this year. We spotlight a team name in every issue of Masters Athlete. Email your favorite Masters team names to: scallahan@masters-athlete.