Brenda Frelsi, 62, Glendive, Montana When Brenda Frelsi tells you about hard knocks in her life, she means it literally. Until she was 45, the Wyoming native had enjoyed a relatively normal and active life. Winter sports is her passion, and one day she was skiing with her 8-year-old daughter Sarah and they decided to

Esther Lamptey, 58, Midwest City, Oklahoma There are many paths people take to find National Senior Games, but few can say they came from another continent. Esther Lamptey started playing table tennis, a very popular sport in Africa, while growing up in the country of Ghana. She was fortunate to train for a decade with

Richard Soller, 93, North Bend, Ohio Richard Soller feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders after chasing a dream goal for 32 years. We’ll make you wait and read on to fully appreciate his story and eventual reward. When Richard went out for track in high school, he suffered a torn hamstring

Shirley Radecki, 92, Eugene, Oregon Winning two swimming medals in The National Senior Games is a remarkable achievement, but no one was more surprised to win them than Shirley Radecki, who struck gold and silver in her first appearance last year at the age of 90. In a way it was very special, but it’s

Michael Brown, 67, Jacksonville, Florida At the age of 50, Michael Brown achieved something that athletes of any age yearn for – a record. The former Jacksonville, Florida high school teacher and track and field coach threw his javelin a whopping 226 feet at the 2004 Florida Senior Games, and then repeated the same distance

Mary Kaplan, 81, Sunrise Beach, Texas When we say runner Mary Kaplan sets goals as big as Texas, we mean it literally. Now 81, the retired Air Force nurse has not only run a race in all 50 states, she has also achieved the goal to run a 5K in every Texas county. All 254

Andy Leighton, 73, Arlington, Virginia Andy Leighton has learned over the years that you don’t give anything away to your opponents – you make them earn everything. For the past decade, that outlook has been put to test, as he now has a second opponent to face every day: Parkinson’s Disease. “After the diagnosis, I

Joy Upshaw, 60, Walnut Creek, California It’s great to win a gold medal, and special when you achieve a record for the best performance in your age and event. But it’s extraordinary when your record surpasses a legend and personal inspiration, as Joy Upshaw experienced in 2019. Even though she was at the top of