She Collects Gold And Has A Golden Rule

Photo By Rob Jerome.

By Ray Glier

It seems like a fairy tale the rest of us can’t keep up with, or relate to. Karla Del Grande is 71 years old, a striking woman with firm posture, the flexibility of a gymnast, and the discipline of a Marine. Karla’s gifts have won her 25 gold medals in the World Masters Athletics championships since 2003, including golds in the 2024 WMA in Sweden in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter hurdles.

Del Grande is the world record holder in the 100 (13.91 seconds) and the 200 (28.53) for Women 65-69. She is the world record holder in the 100 (14.70) and 200 (30.05) for Women 70-74.

Don’t click to go somewhere else because you think this story isn't for you. This is for you. 

Geezer Jock is here to tell you we can relate to Del Grande, if we want to. Many of us want to because we all have this same anchor Karla has: sharing.

Her sharing doesn’t put her on a pedestal. It puts her on the street with the rest of us.

It is what drives her.

For instance, Karla saw a woman standing outside the fitness facility in Scarborough, Ontario where she trains. The woman looked tentative, Karla said. She had seen it before in newcomers and has been accused of dragging people through the gym's front doors.

“I can’t decide whether to go in,” the woman said to Del Grande.

Her husband had recently died, she said to Karla. She needed companionship. She needed to fill that dark, empty space.

“You’ve come to the right place,” Del Grande said.

Karla helped her with the decision that got her through the doors and they talked about the classes at Variety Village. A world-class runner talked about the health needs of people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, like balance and mobility. The woman became more and more enthused as Del Grande talked.

“She’s been coming regularly since that day,” Karla said.

That is not a casual story. It is a big reason why Karla was inducted into WMA’s Gallery of Champions in August. The award recognizes ambassadors for masters track & field, not just for their athletic prowess, but for their community spirit.

“Lots of times people say to me, ‘I'm really inspired by what you do’, but the thing is I want them to take that and then do something with it, take some action,” Del Grande said. “It might be like an extra pull up, or coming out to try a sprint race. If you are starting at an older age, go ahead, run around the block.”

I don’t have a story about Karla’s background that will make you jump up and run around the block. It’s the other way around. She has stories about people that inspire her.

“I can be intimidated by some of the people I see exercising,” Del Grande said.

While she was doing her deep-water runs one day, Karla watched a man swim laps in the pool. He finished and hoisted himself out of the water. He had one leg.

“We’re all in this together,” Del Grande said. “Some are recovering from strokes, accidents, illnesses, or physical challenges from birth that I can never imagine. And so we're all there for the same reasons, which is to age well, to be as strong as you can be. That keeps me going.”

There are, of course, things that keep Karla going faster than the rest of us. One of those things are the pool workouts, which she has been doing since she started in Masters track in 2003. She puts in the necessary work on hard surface, but the water work once a week for 45 minutes to an hour has been foundational for her career.

“I think it is an underrated part of training,” Del Grande said. “To me, it's a combination of recovery and another workout because it's saving the impact.”

Karla slips a harness around her waist, which is attached to a bungee cord hooked to the corner of the pool. She can replicate her workout on the track with interval training. Sometimes it's just a steady run that is almost like a massage for the legs.

Lately, Del Grande has been trying to replicate and improve the Drive Phase of her sprint by “coming out of the blocks” using her hip flexors a little bit more.

“Whatever I do on the track it can be done in the pool, ladders for instance, up and down, at intervals,” Del Grande said. 

Karla was a teacher and librarian. She is accustomed to working with people of different abilities and working at intervals in education.

Do you understand the empathy that goes into meeting people where they are?
Del Grande does, which is why a world-record holder relates to the rest of us.

“I have that added competitive element, but that's not necessary for everybody,” Karla said. “That, to me, that's icing on the cake. It's something that I can do well, but I use it as a platform to show other people that fitness is possible for your whole life.”