Most elite athletes spent the better part of their teens, 20s, and 30s working incessantly to become the best in the world. And if they were lucky and gifted, they did, in fact, become just that. However, the bulk of humanity, like me, is or has been athletic in a very informal way, spending their teens and 20s swimming, playing soccer, jogging, and softball before settling down into so-called “adult life.” My personal journey is one where I swam competitively until I was 16 years old, was a delusional bodybuilder/powerlifter in college, mountain biked, and began running and practicing yoga in my 30s before finally succumbing to middle age around the age of 45. Shortly thereafter I found myself exactly where I never wanted to be: feeling old.

In the fall of 2010, I began swimming to repair an injury that prevented me from walking upright (psoas muscle) — something I refer to as the de-evolutionary, or neanderthal, phase of my life. As I swam more and more, I became interested in triathlons — something I found fascinating in the mid-70s, but never pursued — so I began running and biking again. After bicep/shoulder injury surgery in 2011, I competed in a few triathlons, 5Ks, USMS swim meets and began to wonder how good of an athlete I could become. Even though my body is worn down from years of use and abuse, I seem to get faster, stronger, and more determined with each passing year. As an index, my swim times are every bit as fast as they were when I was 16. I’ve recently run two consecutive 5K PBs (personal bests). So, it begs the question….how good could I become? How good could anyone, any human being, become after 50? Is it possible through proper fitness, mindset, and nutrition to become an elite athlete after the age of 50? Not just the best among a bunch of other 50 years old men and women…..but the best of the best. It goes without saying that PEDs are not an option.

There are numerous examples of older folks succeeding in competitive athletics later in life. The real question is: how good can someone, anyone, become given proper genetics, training, nutrition, time, and financial resources.

I’d love to hear from beginning, practicing, and lifelong competing athletes on the subject. As well, I’d love to hear from doctors, exercise physiologists, sports psychologists, trainers, or anyone who has an opinion. It seems that the time is right and, as the world’s population gets older, and seemingly more in love with staying fit and living longer, that we ask the question…..how good can we, can anyone, really become?