However, that doesn't prevent better runners from beating younger ones. In fact, it happens often.
Case in point: Colman Mooney, 63, of East Lake won his age division at last week's Clearwater Beach Pier 60 5K. His time of 19 minutes, 43 seconds not only won the 60-64 division, but the 55-59 and 50-54 against some formidable competition.
Among a field of 170, he finished 23rd.
Mooney attributes some of his success to running 60 miles a week plus doing track workouts weekly with West Florida Y coach Mel Mella at Clearwater High School.
"That (track work) helps you maintain your speed," said Mooney, a 2:27 marathoner in his prime at age 23. "I also exercise a lot and do more stretching than I used to."
A big part of Mooney's motivation to run is his health. He has been diagnosed with lung damage due to working in close proximity to asbestos during his career as a carpenter. His doctor told him to keep running because it's good for him.
"I like the competition with my friend and training partner, Duncan Cameron, too," Mooney said. "But I don't look at him as a rival although we go back and forth in our age division. When you get older, you don't look at it as a rivalry. It's just friendly competition."
At the Gasparilla 15K in January, Cameron, who had turned 60 in November, finished second in the 60-64 bracket in 59:31 behind Tampa's Don Ardell (58:14).
Although the results reflect Mooney finishing fifth in that group in 1:06:44, there's an explanation.
"I didn't get there until the race was 3 minutes under way," he said. "Then I had to work my way through the packs."
Mooney's athletic career began in his native Ireland, where he played Irish football as a youth and a sport called hurling. A broken leg convinced him there were safer sports.
Therefore, when he emigrated to New York in 1961 at age 20, he found his niche as a member of the famous New York AC, training with and under the guidance of Olympian Pete McArdle.
As for goals, Mooney said he's achieving them every day just by running and enjoying it.
However, there is a monumental goal on the horizon, the 2004 Comrades Marathon (53 miles) in South Africa.
"I'm considering running it to raise money for cancer research," Mooney said. "My son is a cancer survivor, and I think that would be a worthy project."
MORE PIER 60 NEWS: Clearwater's Keith Sawayda and St. Petersburg's Christa Benton won for the second straight time in the five-race series that concludes at 7 p.m. Aug. 8. Benton finished fifth overall, edging Lee Fictum of Pinellas Park by a step.
Amy McClenathan of the Forerunners took second among the women, holding off Clearwater's Kim Miles on the uneven beach surface.
Overall, it was a strong showing for the McClenathan family as all five members finished high in their groups.
Shannon won the girls 10-and under group while sister Erin prevailed among those 11-12. Patrick won the boys 11-12 division. Father Dan took third in the 50-54 behind Chuck McCann and Kevin Cronin.
Judy Maguire of the Dianetics Running Team returned to the racing scene after a layoff to take second in the 40-44 behind Largo's Donna Nesslar.
Gulfport's Karen Alexeev, running barefoot, won her 50-54 age division by more than 5 minutes in 22:38.
PIER 60 STANDINGS: With two firsts, a second and a third, Sawayda enters the series finale with 74 points. Spyder Cruz is second with 64 followed by a four-way tie for fourth (56) among Fictum, Jim Keppeler, Jack Gough and Mike Rainwater.
Miles, who has run all four races, leads the women with 70 points followed by Benton, a three-time winner, with 60. There's a three-way tie for third among Donna Nesslar, Alexeev and Meli Hamilton. Those three have perfect records in their respective age divisions, winning all four race for 56 points. Overall winners, such as Benton and Sawayda, earn 20 points.
PICNIC ISLAND ADVENTURE RUN: Dror Vaknin, a former Times Turkey Trot winner, showed his versatility, winning the recent Picnic Island Adventure Run, a 3.5-mile affair on a challenging course in Tampa, in 20:26. He won among more than 300 participants.
In the women's division, Karen Gately of Largo edged Debby Farias, 25:08 to 25:24.
ST. PETE BEACH: After a refreshing fishing trip to Ontario, Midnight Run winner Mike Greiwe returned to the footrace scene and took first at the Hot-as-a-Grille 5K in 16:48. Mike Sernier (17:27) was the runner-up.
Rachel Winter of St. Pete Beach took the women's title in 20:50 with Sara Petrick second (21:12), followed by Kim Bruce (21:47).
RUNNING CELEBRITY: St. Petersburg's Paul McPartland, a familiar face at area running events, had his picture on the front page of the July 25 Times not once, but twice.
The pictures were of him now and another photo of him in the background from 50 years ago in his dress uniform.
In connection with the newspaper's series on Korean War veterans, McPartland, a Marine combat veteran of the war, was profiled.
He finished second, 70-plus, in the Midnight Run 10K in Dunedin on July 4.
