Each time Gert Freas heads to the starting line of a race, she isn’t looking around to see who might be competition in her age group.
Rather, the 66-year-old New Britain resident is checking her watch and reminding herself this is another opportunity to “freeze the calendar.”
In other words, performance times are destined to slow with age but there are ways to push back the inevitable.
Like at last weekend’s Ocean State Rhode Race Marathon in Rhode Island.
Her astounding 3:44.04 finish not only won the 60-69 age bracket but would have been good enough to finish second in the 50-59 division.
Her 79.8 age-graded percentage was by far the best in the women’s field. No one else even reached 70.
Still, Freas wasn’t completely happy with her performance. Her only excuse? She had run an ultramarathon in Delaware the previous week.
What keeps this multi-time Boston Marathon veteran motivated?
It’s the whole idea of staying competitive for as long as she possibly can. That’s why age is just a number to her and that attitude gives her motivation when she signs up for a race.
“If I ran 22 (minutes for 5K) last year and 23 this year, I don’t want it to be 23, I want to be closer to 22,” she said in a telephone interview. “I don’t want to get old. I want my time to stay the same. So I keep trying.”
Performance numbers reinforce her case. In some races, she’s cleared the 90 percent age-graded mark. But her actual finish time matters most.
“A lot of people are in awe about that,” she said. “I’m just trying to do my best. If it puts me at 90, that’s great. But it doesn’t mean that much to me other than I know I did my best. Or at least I was competitive. I’m such a competitive person. Yeah, it’s great to see that, I think time means more to me than percentage.”
Freas often aims to finish top 10 female in a number of races. But as the years go by, the number of competitive women seems to drop off.
“Unfortunately, there are not a lot of females that are still participating at this age,” she said. “So it looks like my stats are really good but it’s only because the pool is not that great. I just hope I’m going to keep running for a long time.
“I’ve got to be competitive with myself at this point.”
The running tradition continues throughout her family. She is the proud parent of four children and grandparent to 10 grandchildren.
“It’s a big family thing we do together,” Gert said in a 2023 interview.
The Bucks County Roadrunners Club’s Winter Series is about to start in early December and this competition in Tyler State Park provides a valuable off-season foundation for spring, summer and fall racing.
“So what I really love about the Winter Series is the camaraderie,” she said. “I like the variables. One week you’re doing a 5K and the next you’re doing 10K. I love the progression of the races and the challenge of the hills.
“That’s where it really makes it interesting. It’s not just let’s go out and run a 5K. It’s a 5K on this hill, then a 10K on that course. It really keeps it interesting.”
Running with people she knows keeps the running experience fresh.
“You see people each week and you’re catching up with them,” she said. “It’s 11 weeks of seeing these people again and again. It’s great. You’re talking as the race is about to start. You’re standing there just trying to stay warm. You catch up with people, check in and say how are you doing? In the winter, a lot of times we hibernate. Out there you’re not hibernating, you’re seeing people, you’re communicating with them. You’re running and you’re cheering them on at the end. Then you’re having a bowl of oatmeal or a pretzel. Standing around the fire.”
Plus, the competition isn’t quite as intense, which can be a welcome break from your usual grind.
“There’s no awards at the end,” she said. “It’s kind of official but not official. You win but you don’t win, you don’t get anything and that’s fine with me. And it’s seeing how people change over the years. You know, how they get better. It’s just seeing how people evolve and get better with the racing. It’s really cool.”
Cross-training is also a big part of her fitness plan. When she isn’t on her bicycle (group rides of up to 50 miles), she’s in the weight room.
“I do weight training for balance and flexibility,” she said. “ Full-body workouts at least a couple times a week. I enjoy it as much as I can. I just keep running and I stretch.”
There are, of course, no plans to slow down.
“I expect a lot of myself,” she said. “It’s just challenging myself. It’s that age-old thing. And 60 is not 60 anymore. 60 is the 40s. The 60s aren’t what they used to be. We’re fighting those stereotypical 60s. I know I’m 66 but not when I’m running. Not when I’m racing. I’m not 66 when I’m racing. I’m trying my best to be in the top 10.”
It’s a healthy attitude to have. And an amazing one.
>Race calendar
Saturday
Foot Pursuit 5K, 8 a.m., Levittown. Contact www.runsignup.com
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