Athletes defy age at USATF Masters track meet in Albuquerque

Use it or lose it. That was the mantra that many repeated Saturday during the United States Track and Field Masters Indoor Championship.

A collection of track athletes from across the world, ages 25 to 97, gathered in the Albuquerque Convention Center for the USATF Masters championship, all with the same goal: Prove that they can still do the sport they love at any age. 

Nearly 1,000 people took part, including 91-year-olds Christel Donley and Florence Meiler, who competed against each other in the women's long jump, among dozens of other events. The two women have been friends for 31 years and say that the competitions give them joy and keep them in shape.

"To tell the truth, if you don't use it, you lose it," Donley said. 

Meiler, from Vermont, said she stumbled onto the sport while playing tennis at the Vermont Senior Games. A team was looking for someone to compete in long jump.

"I went and I tried the long jump and it was the beginning of my 31 years in track and field," she said.

Meiler and Donley dominate their age category, with both breaking records and winning championships across the nation. On Saturday, both women competed in multiple events, with Meiler reigning as champion in long jump with a distance of 1.55 meters.

For them, the event isn't about breaking records, though. It's about spending time with the friends and proving to themselves that they can still do the things they love.

"You want to compete and do well but the camaraderie is the highlight and when it's over, you go home and think, 'When's the next one?'" Donley said. 

Inocencio Cantu, 92, and Colben Sime, 92, share a similar story — each having competed in track and field events for years with no plans of stopping soon — and are already planning for their next track meet at the World Championships. 

Sime said that after retiring from the Marine Corps, he saw peers lose their steam and passion. He refused to do the same.

"I'm doing this because I want to live longer," he said moments before he and Cantu competed in the men's one-mile race. "I attribute the marathons and the track meets for the fact that I'm still around."

Sime finished the mile in 13 minutes, 56 seconds.

Cantu, who blazed past his friend with a time of 11:52, said he was exceptionally proud of his racing abilities and said the joy and excitement he finds in each track meet keeps him coming back each year, even as the races become harder on his body.

"God willing, I hope to keep doing it for as long as I can," Cantu said. "And when the time comes, I would say I did my best. My body was good to me, but for the time being, I have to keep going.

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.