GRAND JUNCTION – Seniors from all over the region and surrounding Western states were in Grand Junction at the end of August for the 11th Annual Western Colorado Senior Games, a gathering of hundreds of athletes age 50 and older, competing in a wide array of events, including track and field, swimming, pickle ball, pool, golf chip-and-putt, 5K walks and runs, bowling, cards, dance, bocce ball, basketball, and more.
Among them was longtime Telluride resident and attorney Richard Unruh, who competed in the swimming and track and field events and took home a whopping 11 medals.
“There are all kinds of events; it’s a great time,” Unruh said of the Senior Games, which take place all over the country and are open to anyone over the age of 50.
Unruh won six gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals in an array of swimming and running events, as well as the discus, shot put and long jump.
A competitive swimmer and track-and-field athlete in high school and college, Unruh got back into competitive sports last year, when he competed in his first Senior Games. The experience motivated him to continue training for the 2012 event. He bought a shotput and a discus to use in his backyard at home, and started swimming and running in earnest.
The hard work paid off, especially in the discus event, where Unruh threw seven feet further than his closest competitor (who beat him in the same event last year.)
Competing in the 70-74 age group, Unruh says that while the multiple victories were definitely a highlight, the Senior Games are about more than winning. The camaraderie of the games is special, he says, with competitors returning year after year. Most importantly, the games give older adults a reason to remain active and stay in shape. There were competitors as old as 90 years at the Western Slope event, Unruh said.
“It was pretty amazing to see the old ladies doing the 400-yard walk with their walkers,” he said.
The Senior Games take place all over the country, drawing thousands of competitors. Unruh says he’d like to see more people from this area get involved, “because it’s really just a hoot.”
martiniquedavis@watchnewspapers.com
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