SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!
Contact Us: NSGA@NSGA.com
  • HOME
  • NSGA OFFICIAL STORE
  • PARTNERS
  • VOLUNTEER
  • DONATE TODAY
  • DESTINATIONS

National Senior Games Association

National Senior Games Association

The NSGA is a non-profit organization dedicated to motivating active adults to lead a healthy lifestyle through the senior games movement.

T (727) 475-1187
Email: NSGA@NSGA.com

National Senior Games Association
PO BOX 5630, Clearwater, FL 33758 USA

  • ABOUT
    • How to Get Involved
    • NSGA Showcase Video
    • History of the NSGA
    • Board of Directors
    • Team
    • Sports Chairs
    • National Games Awards
    • 30th Anniversary
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • Career Opportunities
  • STATE GAMES
    • State Games Information
    • State Regions
    • Team Partner Finder
    • NSGA Award Winners
  • NATIONAL GAMES
    • How To Qualify
    • National Games Information
    • NSG Cup presented by Kohler Walk-In Bath
    • 2023 NSG Pittsburgh
    • Athlete Check-In
    • Registration
    • Hotels & Lodging
    • Rules & Minimum Performance Standards
    • Competition Schedules
    • Results & Records
    • Special Events
    • Team Partner Finder
    • Tourist Information
    • Transportation & Parking
    • Venue Information
    • Volunteer for the Games
    • Limited Events Verification Form
    • National Senior Games Partners
  • SPORTS
    • INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
      • Archery
      • Badminton
      • Bowling
      • Cornhole
      • Cycling
      • Golf
      • Pickleball
      • Powerwalk
      • Race Walk
      • Racquetball
      • Road Race
      • Shuffleboard
      • Swimming
      • Table Tennis
      • Tennis
      • Track & Field
      • Triathlon
    • NON-AMBULATORY SPORTS
      • Non-Ambulatory Bowling
      • Non-Ambulatory Cornhole
      • Non-Ambulatory Shuffleboard
    • TEAM SPORTS
      • Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
  • HEALTH & WELL-BEING
    • Get In Shape With Ageility
    • Zibrio Health and Well-Being
    • Senior Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE)
    • Heartline Study
    • Falls Prevention Resources
    • NSGA Steps Challenge
    • Exercise & Well-Being Resources
    • Humana Healthy Living and Prevention Resources
    • Fitness Videos
    • ACE Training Tips
    • NSGA Ambassador Program Activities
    • National Senior Games Partners
  • MEDIA
    • Photo Galleries
      • 2022 Photo Gallery
      • 2019 Photo Gallery
    • Games Videos
      • 2022 NSG Video Recap
      • 2019 NSG Video Recaps
    • #StayFitSeniors Athlete Videos
    • Senior Games Blogs & Podcasts
    • Games Daily News Archives
      • 2022 Games Daily News
      • 2019 Games Daily News
      • 2017 Games Daily News
    • Archived Press Releases
    • Newsletter
    • Press Room
    • Athlete of the Month
    • Personal Best Features
REGISTER
NOW!
 January 30, 2023

Amputee Adapts to Find His Sport September 2021 Athlete of the Month

Amputee Adapts to Find His Sport September 2021 Athlete of the Month

by Del Moon / Wednesday, 01 September 2021 / Published in Athlete of the Month

Gary Bertelsen , 75, Westerville, OH

Gary Bertelsen figures he has good sports genes. His brother Jim played football for the Texas Longhorns and for another five years in the NFL. He walked on the track team at the University of Wisconsin.     When told he would be getting scholarship, he trained as hard as he could. “There’s two ways to train- the hard and smart” he explains. “I got the hard work part, not the smart part. I essentially over trained.”

Nonetheless, Gary loved all sports. “I did everything you can do on two feet – softball, golf, football, you name it,” he says. “I was also an addicted runner since three years old and started doing half and full marathons after College.”

Everything changed with a deer hunting accident in 1979. “I bumped my gun while turning on the stand.   It fell to the ground and went off. The bullet went through my left leg above the ankle.” Ultimately, the leg was amputated midway between the foot and knee. He now says it was also the luckiest day of his life because there was a doctor in the hunting party.

At first, Gary was devastated. “It took me a year after getting my first prosthesis to make my brain and my body take one running step,” he says. “It was not a linear progression to go through the process that people go through after a traumatic experience. I went back and forth through denial, anger, coping and acceptance before I got on with my life.”

Once he took that step, he didn’t look back. “I started doing 10Ks and half marathons using old, antiquated equipment,” he says. “I’ve run five marathons as an amputee and every one of them kicked my butt. Not only did it damage the leggings inside the prosthesis, I had to walk backwards down steps for two weeks afterwards.”

When running kept doing damage to his residual limb, Gary didn’t sit down. He tried cycling. “I even made my own prosthetic cycling leg with a plywood foot and ski pole pylons laminated to a socket,” he recalls. Then, in 2015, with a much improved prostheses, he decided to try running again and signed up for what he thought was a half marathon run. “Then I read the rules that said if you run one stride you are disqualified, and I thought ‘what the heck is this?’”

Gary had discovered Race Walk. After researching, watching videos and attending a clinic by famed coach Dave McGovern, he knew he had found his way forward. “I just fell in love with the sport and then got into the senior circuit in 2016.”

Gary found he could be competitive racing with a prosthetic lower leg. He usually wins his age division at the state level, and finished 4th and 5th respectively in the M 70-74 1500m and 5000m events at the 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana, adding he is motivated by more experienced elite age peers like Norm Frable and Richard Campbell.

He laughs when he shares that he is listed by World Masters Rankings at #1 in the 1500m and #2 in the 5000m race walks for his age for the year 2020. “The asterisk is that most of the competitions around the country were canceled, so there were fewer opportunities. And many competitors were damned concerned about going, like me,” he observes. “My wife and I have I have family in Florida and decided to compete at the 2020 Florida Senior Games. I thought they ran the event very well and very safely.”

Rankings aside, Gary is much more focused on his quality of life and continuing in sports. “I feel like I found a way to stay alive and fit as long as I possibly can. It’s incredible exercise. I weigh the same as I was when I graduated high school!”

  • Tweet

About Del Moon

What you can read next

100 Reasons to Keep Swimming – November 2022 Athlete of the Month
Gary Patton Refines and Finds Success December 2022 Athlete of the Month
Pickleball + Airstream = A Lovely Way to Play January 2023 Athlete of the Month

Recent Posts

  • Making Space for Sports

    Larry DeLucas, 72 Birmingham, Alabama There are...
  • Pickleball + Airstream = A Lovely Way to Play January 2023 Athlete of the Month

    Gene Berg, 70 Margaret Berg, 61 Litchfield, New...
  • The Long Run November 2022

    ASSOCIATION NEWS NSGA Announces 2023 Games Them...
  • Gary Patton Refines and Finds Success December 2022 Athlete of the Month

    Gary Patton, 77 Rock Rapids, Iowa Gary Patton n...

Archives

Categories

FOOTER MENU

  • About
  • State Games
  • National Games
  • Sports
  • News and Events
  • Partners
  • Donate Today
  • Press Room
  • Memorial Fund
  • Coordinators Homepage
  • QG Coordinators
  • How to Use the NSGA Website

NSGA E-Newsletter and General Interest E-Mail Sign Up

GET IN TOUCH

T (727) 475 1187
Email: NSGA@NSGA.com

National Senior Games Association
PO Box 5630, Clearwater, FL, 33758 USA

  • GET SOCIAL
National Senior Games Association

Non Discrimination Statement |Copyright Notice | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Linking Policy | Help/Contact
© 2022 National Senior Games Association. All rights reserved. Designed by JayBirds Co Inc.
A 501 (c) 3 Charitable Organization | EIN: 43-1488742
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER FOR CONTACTING THE DIVISION IS 1-800-435-7352 AND REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY ALSO BE OBTAINED BY VISITING THE DIVISION’S WEBSITE AT https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Consumer-Services
National Senior Games Association`s Florida Charity Registration Number, CH62417

TOP
NSGA Uses Cookies
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
2023 National Senior Games - July 7-18, 2023 157 Days 14 Hours 1 Minutes 23 Seconds