Wherever You Find It, Have Purpose

You can see Lynn Rathjen, 80, has good form for the 800 and 1500. But he has something else more valuable. Read below for three minutes, please, to see what else drives this American record holder. Photo by Lincoln Track Club. 

By Ray Glier

When I was covering high school and college sports for daily newspapers, some of the young athletes would invariably “thank God” for their win. I don't ever remember using one of those quotes in my reporting because, if you believe in God, you understand the Almighty is similar to legitimate sports writers in press boxes. Neither cares who wins.

But when Lynn Rathjen, 80, won the 800-meter run at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships on July 19, and set an American record, he thanked God during my short interview with him. I didn’t skip past that comment, like I had with young athletes. I listened this time when somebody mixed faith and sports because the message was more mature and I was sure a coach had not put it in Rathjen's head.

Lynn was not thanking the God he believes in for the victory and the U.S. record. 

He was thanking God for giving him Purpose, which was running. It is not wistful. It is real to Rathjen.

If I have learned anything in four years of writing Geezer Jock, it's that we all need purpose, whether we compete in masters track meets or simply go to our gym. That's the imperative here. Have purpose.

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction." — President John F. Kennedy.

“If you are you're driven by a core belief that Christ lives in you and that your body is a temple of the Lord and everything you do with running has something to do with the Spirit living in you, then I do believe my running gives me purpose,” Lynn said. 

That Saturday in Huntsville, at 2 p.m., when it was 91 degrees, the purposeful Rathjen went 2 minutes, 48.64 seconds in the Men’s 80-84 year-old 800-meter run. Lynn, who lives in Grand Island, Neb., won a gold medal and beat the previous U.S. mark by almost five seconds.

Lynn made it hard on the other contenders with a reverse split of 85 seconds the first lap and 83 seconds the second.”

The next morning, Rathjen went 5 minutes, 44.41 seconds, in the 1500 for another gold medal and another American record. The previous mark for M80 was 6:04.28.

Lynn is now ranked No. 1 in the world in the 800 and 1500 for M80-84.

What struck me about Lynn’s running was his form. His torso was straight up and down with an even stride on the back straightaway early in the race. He was similarly straight up and down with an even stride the last 50 meters.

The man is 80 and kept his form in the 800, no matter the heat and humidity. Whether you are on the track, walking the street, or sitting at a weight machine, pay attention to your mechanics.

“My mechanics have improved some over time because I helped coach high school track and I coached the cross country kids,” Rathjen said. “I was teaching them proper form and so, just naturally as you're running, you start thinking about some of these things yourself.”

The mechanics of exercise were a big part of Lynn’s life. He was a physical therapist for 40-plus years.

“I've seen that with some other runners that I that I knew when they were younger, and then see them now, and their form has deteriorated,” Rathjen said. “Some of it could be orthopedic difficulties, and that sort of thing. Mine is not a matter of flexibility. I don't have a lot of flexibility, and I don't do any stretching, but I still have mobility.”

What was also striking was Rathjen did not enter the national meets until he was 74 years old. He was dominating local meets in Nebraska until one of his sons suggested he go national with the USATF meets. That is another takeaway to this story. It’s never too late.

Lynn’s sons, Ryan and Andrew, were with him in Alabama five weeks ago exhorting their dad as he went from dominating locally to dominating nationally. It will be interesting when one of the sports all-time middle distance greats, Gary Patton, moves up into 80-84 next year.

“Yeah, that'll be a heck of a race, if I decide to run against Gary,” Rathjen said. “He's very good. I still remember him flying past me in a race.”

Lynn didn’t have to say it, but whether he runs or not, will depend on whether he feels God has that purpose in mind for him. That purpose will not come from the cosmos, but from within.