Marathon Man Laps Old Age

He looks like he has discovered a cure for aging. His body is taut. His smile is bright and wide. And at 64, Tom Pontac shows no outward signs of slowing down. Literally.

For Pontac became a newlywed last year, graduated from college in the spring and now plans to train as many of his new neighbors as he can to do what he loves most: run marathons.

Never mind that those neighbors are senior citizens, like Pontac, who live in the retirement community of Seal Beach Leisure World. Retirement, he will tell you, is all a state of mind.

He casually refers to the one-bedroom unit within the private community that he shares with his wife, Jeanne, as just a “crash pad,” not a place to hang out for any length of time.

Pontac, who runs 40 to 50 miles per week, leaves his pad behind to accomplish two things, mainly: train for marathons and train other senior residents for marathons.

At Leisure World, he has turned into a bit of a Pied Piper, forming and leading an enthusiastic group named Leisure Leggers. Pontac, who estimates that he has run in 125 to 150 marathons since he was 41, plans to have his charges run alongside him in the Long Beach Marathon in November. The 26.2-mile seaside race is one he has competed in all 15 times it has been held. It’s more than fun for Pontac. He has found that marathon running turns back the clock, and he wants other seniors to know about it.

“I believe it’s possible to reverse the aging process,” he said. “I’m doing things now that I could never do 40 years ago.”

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To further his cause, Pontac plans to combine his educational interests, having received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and certificate in gerontology from Cal State Long Beach, to create programs for older athletes.

“The mental portion of sports is prime,” he said. “In marathons, you have to finish in your mind, then the rest is just follow-through.”

His average daily routine includes a morning of 450 sit-ups of varying sorts, 60 push-ups and an hour of running. He has competed in not just your average marathons, but ultra-marathons, including 50-mile races, a marathon in the heat of the Mojave Desert and a 100-mile run.

By starting Leisure Leggers, Pontac said, he has begun tearing down the wall between the senior living community and the world’s view of retirement as a time when people must slow down. His own outlook on the community has changed since he moved in last year.

“I would like to change the perception of what people think about Leisure World,” he said. The community is “so different from what I expected it to be. The energy level is so much higher.”

One Leisure Legger, Irving Saritoff, 72, agrees that running keeps him young. An avid jogger of much less than marathon distances for nearly 20 years, he joined the group to “build up stamina” and find running partners. He plans to run the Long Beach half-marathon that takes place in conjunction with the main event.

He said running for exercise has helped his recovery from a heart condition. A pacemaker implanted six years ago has not slowed him down, he said.

“The quality of my life is very good,” Saritoff said. “For a guy my age, I have a lot of energy.”

The first meeting of Leisure Leggers brought out 14 men and women whom Pontac described as accustomed to being active. But they were still a bit doubtful about being able to complete a marathon.

“Some of them were afraid of appearing foolish” during the marathon, Pontac said. “I told them they will be getting as much cheering from the crowd as the front-runners. Everyone runs their best race.”

Jeanne Bader, a Cal State Long Beach gerontology professor, said Pontac’s efforts are more than noble. Merely bringing senior citizens together for a common goal can have profoundly positive effects, she said.

His work “toward such a goal can only be good, unless you overdo it,” Bader said. “The [club’s] effect on one’s attitude, one’s self-esteem and one’s social well-being goes beyond the physical benefits.”

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Pontac’s wife said that when they met three years ago, she had never entertained the idea of running a marathon. Shortly after meeting, she began competing. Six days after they were married, they ran in a half-marathon. He wore a tuxedo top and she a wedding veil.

“Having walked the walk, he comes across as very believable,” Jeanne Pontac said. “He has a way of helping you find your potential.”

Pontac said he feels blessed these days and often can’t believe his age. He says running can be a highly spiritual experience, like “you’re right there with God, particularly when you are in the flow.”

He does not feel right when he misses a day or two of running, and he admits that at times, his passion can be obsessive. Still, he makes health a priority.

“I define health for myself as there not being a day in my life that I cannot run in a marathon,” he said. “My goal is to keep growing without getting older.”

His motto for the Leisure Leggers says it all: “Growing old is not for sissies.”