Along the "appreciation" lines . . . I was doing Lake Placid a few years ago and, since I'm a crummy swimmer and an OK biker, had spent the first couple of hours of the bike doing my usual, which is passing some of the heavier guys who can swim like the dickens but aren't so great biking hills. I was having a lousy day and my head really wasn't in it when, off in the distance, I saw a classic tapered "V" back, tight bum, chiseled calves . . . I thought to myself, "That's a more inspiring view than I'm getting right now, I should try to scoot up a few more spots" and picked it up a bit to get a better look . . . And got close enough to see the "62" on the back of his calf. Which happened to be my father's age. After a brief moment of mortification that I'd been drooling over a parental contemporary, I was really just filled with admiration for the guy, 'cause dang. So, thanks, 62-year-old hot guy for making my bike ride much more enjoyable in IMUSA 2004!

Bit of a reverse... I was running my first ever Sound to Narrows (Tacoma) as a 51 year old, and was having a good first 6k. Caught up with some of the faster next wave and was running with a younger lady up one of the hills Pt Defiance park. She was definitely falling off her pace so I ran stride for stride with her for about a mile and encouraged her. Then things clicked in and she was off into the distance. Figured good, she's has her race back and never would see her again. I turned the corner for the final climb up the Vassault hill to the finish and she had come back after she had finished and paced me up the last hill. Found out she had PR'ed a race that she was just about ready to quit when I met up with her in the park.

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Jay

In appreciation of older men in sport

I'm feelin' the love.......

On the flip side, a male friend of mine was doing a race and his age was written on his calf. A young woman passed him on the bike and said "46?! You inspire me!"

Needless to say, my friend wasn't terribly inspired by the comment.