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At a recent master’s track meet, I saw Bill Daprano run a strong 200 meter sprint in just over 30 seconds. Michael Johnson made the 200 meter event famous by setting a world record during the Olympics—that’s great, but he’s a young guy.

Bill is 75 years old. He looks 40. From a distance, to see Bill run, you might say, "That’s a fast high school or college athlete."

Bill has set 6 World Records and two of them in the Pentathlon for his performance in five events (long jump, discus, 200 meter sprint, javelin, and the 1500 meters).

I was throwing the discus when the starting gun sounded. I glanced and saw Bill take off from the starting blocks and I watched him run as I always do at track meets for inspiration. When he came out of the turn and headed into the straight way, he looked strong, young, and fast.

I made the comment to 30 or so discus throwers, "that guy out in front is 75 years old." Everyone stopped to watch Bill run.

Bill running is art in motion! No painting has ever inspired me like watching Bill Daprano run.

Jeanne Daprano is also art in motion. She holds eight World Records. And they’re in the tough mid-distance races.

In the group, age 60-64 women, Jeanne set a world record in the 1500 meters, (just a little short of a mile) in 5:46. (That’s four laps around the track minus 200 meters in less than 6 minutes).

In the 65-69 women’s group, Jeanne set another World record in 2002 by running 1500 meters in 5:48. This beat the former world record by 9 seconds.

Question: How many high school students can run 1500 meters in less than 6 minutes?

Think about this for a moment. Here’s a woman over the age of 65, and she can probably out run 98% of all the high school students in the country.

Bill and Jeanne Daprano motivate me.

They motivate me to get the message out that middle-age and older adults are cheating themselves out of the quality (and the quantity) of their life because they don’t do anaerobic, high-intensity, Ready Set Go Fitness type training. Send this newsletter to those who need this message.

What does this mean to you?

This question can only be answered by you. Are you going to start the fitness program and stick with it? Only you can answer this question.

As I watched Bill finish his race, I thought of my dad, who died at 50 with a major heart attack. Bill and my dad would be about the same age. My dad missed 25 years of his life because he didn’t have the health and fitness information we have today about how to perform high-intensity exercise.

He missed seeing three grandchildren born. Oh, how he would have loved my children. But that’s gone. It doesn’t have to be this way for you—if you’ll make the decision today to add fitness training to your life…and keep it there for a lifetime.

The take home

Develop a Bill and Jeanne Daprano attitude. You’ll understand what I mean when you read this — I asked Bill if he was going to the World Masters Championships in Puerto Rico, and he told me that they aren’t offering the five event pentathlon, but only the 10 event decathlon.

So what is Bill going to do, not go? Don’t be silly! Bill told me that he is going to learn how to pole vault so he can compete in the decathlon.

This is the Bill and Jeanne Daprano attitude.Are you cheating yourself…your family…from a Daprano full-of-energy lifestyle?

Have a great day!

Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A., FACHE
Author Ready, Set, GO! Synergy Fitness