Inspiring Lives and Winning Races at Age 91, with John Hurd

In the long list of published inspiring sport stories are great feats by well-known athletes from well-known teams from around the world. While John Hurd’s may not be as famous, his story is as uplifting as any and his achievements are beyond remarkable. John has won 169 gold medals, including 9 at the national level, in track and field. The amazing part of those achievements is that they all came after age 61 and continue today into his 91st year. His story is documented in his two books, JOHNNY RUN LATELY: The Life and Adventures of a Latter Day Sprint Champion and A Sprint to The Gold: How I Won the National Senior Olympics Without a Coach or Trainer. In this conversation with Matt, John shares many more details about his childhood, his career, his faith, his health, his training, and his latest goals. His message is inspiring for all ages, all athletes, and anyone who wants some advice on how to get more out of life. John even faced a health scare and was fitted with a pacemaker, but he has adjusted to the changes and still continues to compete. Listen here or on YouTube. 

Transcript

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Well, hello with gratitude Matt listeners, my name is Matt Murray and I'm the host for the with Gratitude Matt Show. On the show our goal is to inspire our listening audience to practice gratitude regardless of how powerful their storm is. We've learned that the practice of gratitude works much like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. I'm so delighted to have today's guest on. John Heard is going to inspire you for how he picked up track and specifically sprinting at the age of 61. Prior to him picking up track, he was he had a very successful technology career. He grew up in the Memphis area, graduated from Memphis State. And it wasn't until age 61 that he picked up track and field and today has competed in track events all over the world, in fact, has earned over 160 medals, including ones from the senior Olympic. Today, he is married to his wife, Sandy, and his three grown sons. John, it's such an honor to have you on today's show. Welcome to the show. Thank you, Matt. I appreciate your inviting me. Absolutely. John is such an honor. And we connected a few weeks ago. Just hearing your story inspired me so much because you did at 61 what so few people can do at 15, 20 and so on and so forth. But before we get into, you know, when you picked up track and field and committed to sprinting, I'd love to hear a little bit about your childhood and what it was like growing up in Memphis. Well, I moved to Memphis when I was 13 and junior in high school and retired. Typical everything out. I did not participate in team sports in school except boxing because they had a weight division that I could fit into. It was £92 through a hybrid and a 10th grade. I was five feet, nothing inch tall. So that's the only sport that had a place for me. But envied the guys on the track team because I enjoyed thinking that I would like to be with them, but that just wasn't cut out for me at that time. Right. And then you went on to Memphis State. You had a very successful career in business. Maybe just share a little bit about some of the highlights there. Before we get into your track career. Well, I graduated in 1956. I had one interview that was with the IBM Corporation in upstate New York. They flew me up. They had an interview there in Memphis, and they flew me to New York for a second interview. And I spent several years with them as a programmer system designer systems engineering manager, instructor, instructor and manager and had a hat. My claim to fame during that period, I guess you might say. I had a call from Ross Perot's office and wanted me to come down and work for him, and I said, No thanks. I must stay with IBM. I know, but I didn't know who Ross Perot was. A year or two later, I learned how much I had already lost by not taking in value advantage of that offer, but. Was spending it early. Career. How long were you with IBM? About 14 years. Okay. U.S. of 1970. My guess is you had plenty of blue suits with striped ties. Oh, yes. Okay. So how does a guy who you know, you did box as a young kid, which is amazing, but how does a guy at age 61 who really didn't train, didn't compete outside of boxing at a young age, find sprinting as a sport, as a passion. It wasn't something I was actively looking for. I just came across an article in the local Memphis paper about a of a friend I'd had in college. Not a close friend, but we knew each other well, and he was a track star on National Records, world records and so on. And it turns out that he's running for an of an outfit referred to as the senior Olympics, beginning at age at that time, 55. Now it's 50. They had age brackets from 50 to 54, 55 to 59 and so on. And at that time I thought, boy, they're still doing this. Maybe I could get in that and do what I wanted to do 40 years ago, 45 years ago, and couldn't. So I thought, well, Jim's three years younger than I am, so I'll only have to meet him two times out of five years. Then the rest of the time I'm like, got by on some guys that that, that I've outlived just past. So anyway, I called up the state office of this thing and I said, What kind of speech? What kind of times do the guys in my age record in the water and 200 meter dashes. And he gave me some numbers that didn't mean anything to me, but it was something to think toward. So I started setting goals, and I learned along the way that if you really want to accomplish something in life worthwhile, you got to set goals. And furthermore, you got to track them and stay with them. So I did that. What I had learned in my computer career was how to use Microsoft Excel backed out. Taught it for a couple of decades. And so I set spreadsheets out with this is what I'm doing today and this is what I want to do by the time those games get here. And I would track it every week, every time I went to the track, I knew what that spreadsheet said I got to be doing that week and I kept going. And the first thing you know, I had a medal or two here and there and I just stuck with it. I didn't have any trainers, I didn't have any coaches or I just had a desire to do it. By birth of the Kid, first Opportunity decided to go to the National Games, was in my second year, so I drove to San Antonio. They have to send national games championships every year, every other year, and a lot number of years. I went to San Antonio, ran the 100, 204, and I read and I was what you would classify it an also ran. There were 67 people in my age group and the best I did was 11th place in one of them, but I didn't make the finals of any of them. But I learned what where it was going to be two years from now. And I set two goals for myself. And again, I practice on spreadsheets and which is available at my website. I married. I said, okay, when I get to Tucson, I'm going to get one of the top six places in the final of one of these two events. I dropped a ball and also I'm going to qualify for all-American. They have all-American standards for every age group. It's not a it's not a vote for thing. You either make that event to the hundredth of a second or you don't. So when I got to Tucson, I, I did, in fact, get a fifth place ribbon, and I made an all-American in the 200 meter dash. What do you say to that individual? Because they're out there, they're potentially listening. But what do you say to that individual that said, they either say, gosh, I'm too old, they're 34 years old, maybe out of shape, haven't taking care of themselves that well. And they're just finding it difficult to. Now, I'm not even say compete in races that you you competed in because we'll get to that in a little bit more. But what do you say to that individual that says, gosh, you know what, I can't do it because I never was an athlete and I'm just going to be overweight now to shape the rest of my life? What do you say to that individual? I say the same thing Henry Ford said, If you think you can't do it, you ride. If you think you can do it, you're right. It doesn't happen overnight. But Matt, you have to start it usually start slow. I started slow just walking and to get I was always pretty good at walking. I brought it competitive. But you want to start out slow but find something you really enjoy doing. You're not in it to just endure it. You not enjoy it, you know, stay with it. So if it's physical, like athletics, you might want to check with your doctor, make sure he doesn't have any suggestions. Every doctor I've talked to over 30 years, I've been running, supporting me day by day. All But you don't have to. You don't have to make over or an over 200 medals. You get it. You just want to be your best that you can be absolutely anything that that makes you happy, then you you reached your goal. But that goal should be written down and it should be tracked. They go, I love it. I love how you track that track early on. So early on, those first few years, your training, what did your training regimen look like back then? It was five days a week. I first started training and working out on the streets like distance runners. But that didn't work for me because you can't use bikes on the street and the distance runners or it's a different game or this is an endurance game where they have red muscle fiber, which means they get more oxygen to the muscles. I have white muscle fiber, which means I have to replace it by resting in between. So it's all it starts with a mindset that if you think you're old, you're going to be old. I have never thought of myself as old. When I reached 40, I thought, How am I supposed to feel? I don't. And I'm 91 now. And finally, in the last two or three years, I've begun to feel like a 40 year old older for you. Or that is that World Series, that. 91 years young, right? Yes. I've had a pacemaker for four years. Then it wasn't caused by running either. It was caused by a pharmaceutical screw up, Oh, years before I started running. But anyway, if you want something bad, then of it's worth going after. But you got to have a love for it. So now you've been 30 years sprinting. Okay. Have you ever thought or considered what life would have looked like for John Hird had you not gone to the track? Have you not had you not been inspired to just try running out? What was your life looked like, had it not been like that? Or is it just something that you don't think about? I really, though, I really don't. I stopped eating dessert that lunch and dinner every day of my life. I stopped at lunch. I didn't cut out overnight, but I would probably just still be sitting around watching television, watching the news all wasting away. Well, if you're going to say that, I don't know what my heritage is. My father was killed in an accident when he was 40 and my mother was accidentally murdered when she was 61. Oh, my goodness. What's she had been the one to teach me everything in my life that made me what I am about believing in yourself. That person over there dress expensive suit doesn't make him better than you are. You are you. He's a virtue. He's just another person. That's right. You know what I've said before is, you know, when you start comparing yourself with other people, it's really not fair because that other person has an experienced everything that you've experienced. They're unique. And, you know, I shared with you when we connected that, you know, I've been on this cancer journey for the last several years and, you know, you can look at mortality tables, this and that, whatever you want. And I've said that none of that really matters because those statistics don't include Matt Moran in them. And I'm assuming that you feel the same way about looking at yourself relative to somebody else. It just doesn't matter because you're John hurt and you have the experiences of John Howard, not the other person. Does that resonate with you? It does indeed. I look at the other person and I admire what they have accomplished, but I don't try to compare myself to them and say, Oh, gee, I didn't. I can't do it. Well, that's up, you know. Oh, they may be doing something I'm totally inept at, but. Well, I that one, my life goal to do that. Well, you can't you can't do that. And my mother taught me that, that, you know, he's no better than you are. You do what you can do, and that's what God would want you to do. There's a purpose for all of us. Well, I'm glad that you went to the God component, because I know you and Sandy are very committed to your faith and, you know, found a very rich spiritual community. Love to hear a little bit about how that spiritual community has helped fuel you find what God's purpose is for you and just overall, how spirituality has helped you fuel your spreadsheet career. None of it would have worked without that. That that devotion, that dedication, that that God's self, that, oh, Sandy and I have been on a spiritual trip for 42 years since that the year we got married. And we have listened to everybody that that that had what we wanted to hear and it's made all the difference in the world for us. I don't, do I? I'll start the day without the my prayers or mostly of Thanksgiving. I know best for a lot but I give thanks for all about Oh Lord got it. That other was a lot of pressure, but that's true for all. Well you know you talk about praying. Think of Thanksgiving. A lot of correlations, too. We've got to show around gratitude when I say the word gratitude and when I when you think about the word gratitude, what first and foremost comes to mind for both you and Sandy? Well, I give thanks for being here, for having one more day, for an ongoing, continuous life with my life partner with me, and I give thanks for her in improving health day by day. Name all my children, my grandchildren, great grandchildren and give thanks for their their continuous help. And it that's what got my day started. That's awesome. That's awesome. Now, do you have any either children I met You mentioned your three sons. How many grandchildren do you have? I have three grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Okay. Any sprinters in there? Yeah, I run. I have a great grandchild, daughter, a daughter. And I just learned this recently. She is an all around sprinter and she does about half a dozen different sports. She plays soccer, she plays basketball. She's a sprinter and. How old is she? How was your great great granddaughter who's the the athlete in the family? She's she's she's in high school. High school. Okay. Do you get to see her compete at all? I haven't yet, but I hope. Okay. She lives in Arkansas. I live in Florida. Well, now, that'd be awesome. I'm sure you'd love seeing her participate, but I'm sure it makes you exceedingly proud that she's following in your athletic spirits. You know, Jim Mathis, I remember you talking a little bit about Jim Mathis, and he was a sprinter at Memphis State, correct? Yes. How did he ultimately play a role in you spread it? Was it just somebody that you admired at college? And then when the opportunity came up, you like you thought a little bit about Jim and, you know, followed in his footsteps or how did he inspire you to get into sprinting? He encouraged me, and we did work out some well, one thing about sprinters, you're not part of a group team unless you're in a school. So you do a lot of your training by yourself. But when I was around Jim, it was always encouraging. He gave me some tips on running form and so forth. How do you get faster? He gave me some routines for that and he was still coaching in high school and he's not with us anymore. But he was a a big, important person in my first beginning to run. That's awesome. And I think it's important for listening on is one of the things I talk about is really truly being present to those you're with is just really important in life because you just never know, like who's going to be in front of you, who's going to be able to help you through challenges, who's going to inspire you to do things that you thought you'd never be able to do? And it sounds like Jim was just one of those guys and so happy that you you made that connection that you really probably in the college years probably never realized the impact that he was going to have on your life that really happened some 30, 35 years later. Yeah, it's amazing. But there's a purpose for everything that happens. I don't believe in coincidence. There's no there's no doubt about that. Now, what was the story about the Russian sprinter? I can't really remember that. How did he motivate you? It was a motivational speaker talking about what persistence and belief in yourself and dedication can do. They had to overcome several physical challenges to become the world's bread champion and the Olympics and all I remember was that he was Russian. But that got me thinking about it. And then it got to two weeks after that. So I saw this story in the paper about Joe Mathis. Too many coincidences there. You had to act on it, right? Right. I got right on the phone. I started calling out, what do I do? I went to bookstores or books owned. Run it right. Well, they're full of books, all running. But it looked to me like they were all about five days and engaged that marathon hours. And I said, That ain't my style. I finally found an ad in a running magazine. Carl Lewis had a video, a DVD, and for $39.95 about that. And I got some good ideas from that, too. Today, when you're training, what's the furthest you'll run? Do you do for honors today or. No? No, I gave up the ball. I did. I did. I did make a state championship with it and qualified it, all-American with it. But I just run I started out with a lot and two dropped a ball 100 or barely on it. And then about ten years ago, they added 50 meters to the event. So since then I've been doing 5102. But hey, John, if they ever add the 25, let me know. I might do that. Oh, no, I, I still tell myself my you know, I'm 54, just turned 54. My greatest athletic achievements have not happened yet. My athletic achievement that I'm striving for is happens to be on the on the golf course, but it's not in spreading. But I, I love the game of golf and I keep telling myself my best golf is still ahead of me. And I really sincerely mean that I, I think it's true. I believe it's true. And so what we're working at that. I'll believe it for you and with you. Okay. Well, so what goals do you have today for yourself on the track? Are there any things, any milestones that you're trying to achieve still out there? And now I'm trying to maintain what my cardiologist said when I had the implant with the pacemaker. Instead of him saying, go to get a soft couch and just relax, he said, I want to get you back to ground zero where you were before we had to do this. So your times right now are not as good as they were prior to you having the pacemaker put in. Is that correct? Right. Well, I'm four years older, for one thing. That's why they have five year age brackets. But you and your head think that you can get back to that speed that you were four years ago. I'll put it this way. And they all-American standards that they have set for my age group. Yeah, I they I've said all of them I retired go out. I was all alone. I made a I missed the state championships in Florida a couple of years ago because of the pandemic. But I said, well, John, I wound up I have run the state championships in Florida 16 times and I haven't been beaten in any of the three events in over 16 years and made all-American. I've been world class. I made all-American a 25 out of 26 years. That one year. I missed it by 100th of a second. Tell my goodness, that's how that's how serious they are. About three. Oh, yeah, I would I would like to travel the world and compete with people in other countries. But I gave up flying a long time ago. There you go. You know, we talked a little bit about you just touched on God's purpose. You know, serving what his plan is for your life. I mean, outside of running. I mean, you're I know you're kind enough to come on today's show, and I know that your story is going to inspire our listeners to think that they for those that think they're not capable of doing something, they're going to think twice because of listening to John Heard and how you got involved in something that you're really passionate about at the age of 61. I know that's going to that's making an impact. But as you're and you mentioned earlier before the show, you've had several conversations like this in the last couple of weeks. What is your real goal with respect to sharing your story more publicly today than it was prior to getting on the speaking circuit? I really believed that if somebody or a ten year old or an €80 hears my story and gets inspired and and boosts himself up by his own bootstraps, then I've sort of part of my purpose. If it if I sell one book that helps somebody that's worth all these interviews I'm going through now, I'm I'll get pleasure out of it. But if I can make it good for somebody else, one reason I like to work out at a high school or right now, but in training in an elementary school for the last several years is those little kids come out, but they're busy in classes and they running around that track and all that stuff. And their coaches tell them, look at that moment where he's learned his age and so forth. And then they they they always speak to him with the little ones that come by. How old are you and how old you think I am? And if they answer it right, I know to go to your door to tell them what that gives me. As big a kick as a dad will have. But a bleachers full of people. I don't know. John, I've. I shared with you a little bit about my father. He was a high level swimmer. He he swam at Indiana University, went to the Olympic trials, missed the Olympics by a spot. You know, today he's 88 years old, actually, right now as we speak, he's in a rehabilitation facility because he fell out of bed recently. I only share that with you because I think he's concerned about his health moving forward and he doesn't train anymore. What words of encouragement might you share with him for somebody that's not too dissimilar in age, but my dad might be questioning can he still train? Should he still train? And I think he can. He might have to do it differently. But any advice that you might be able to share with my dad? Only because he's he's one of my most avid listeners that I have. Well, I don't qualify as a coach giving advice, but I'll tell you a little quick anecdotal story that my primary care doctor told me when I was 83 and he had he said I had a couple come in here. They were 83 years old. They came in. Each of them had a walker and his best they could do is just walk into his office. And he said, I suggested to them, they go down to the fitness center and get on a treadmill and set it for one mile an hour and do it one minute and do that every day that you can get over there. And and then later on, they came back to him and several months and he said, John, they came in walking upright and they are they have up their speed and they just feel like a a new life. And so all it took was the right encouragement and their willingness to take his advice and do a little on their own just started a very, very easy upward book. So when someone was asking me about how do I get started with this woman, the first thing I suggest they do is pick out something you will enjoy in the dirt to endure it, something you enjoy because you got to stick with it and start out easy. Don't let your mistakes I made when I started out because I violated every one of them. I think it's more out easy and get your physical checkups if that's what you do. We go together once, twice a year, Whatever. I never saw a doctor every year until I started running. Oh, wow. Boy, avoided them all with it. John, it's such an honor to have you on today's show. I, I close out each one of my shows with kind of a difficult question. You know, you've had a very successful business career in the technology field for many decades now. You've had three decades of wild success on the track. But I have to think that there's been some hurdles along the way that you've had to overcome. And I'm a big believer that through difficult times generally speaking, create opportunities for you to grow as a human being. And I'd love to hear if there's one hurdle or obstacle that you had to face as an adult or even a child. I mean, you touched on your father passing away. And, you know, early on in your life at the age of 40, your mother at 61, I mean, those might be some of the hurdles, but is there any one particular hurdle that you faced that you feel helped you grow in, have the right mind and the right body to do the things that you're doing today? Love to hear a little bit more about that challenge that you might have faced in life. Well, the first part of my life, it was being so small. I was unable to do a lot of things that other people could do. And I get picked on. I that's how I learned a box. I had prepared myself a lot as a kid because I get picked on. But I guess the biggest challenge I've had has to do with a pacemaker because before I even thought about sprinting, I had a I used to have anxiety attacks. Well, and after so long, I finally gave up, said, All right, I won't go see a doctor because this is this is just to my life is not like it ought to be. So I did. And he prescribed a bite of beta blocker, just take a four pill a day and three and six pills a day. And after six days I discovered that I was eating. I was taking half of the the Xanax and three of the beta blockers because they put me like bombs on the wrong bottles. And after six days I was a walking zombie. And I guess shortly after that I went from my regular checkup with a doctor and they said, You've had a heart attack. Wow, I really had. But he sent me over anyway. Turned out to be the Oh, the electrical conduction system that sends the message to your heart is time to be time to be. And that really it didn't affect me physically until several years later in 2001, warming up for the 200 meter finals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And I'm inside 95 degrees outside. I'm inside doing running in place and so forth. And also not just toppled over on the floor, didn't pass out, but all that continued over the years ever. Every time I put on those spikes, I'm looking over my shoulder. But I kept going and finally, oh, I heart out for a second heart block And that and I was wearing a 30 day monitor nice. And they called me on the phone immediately. They said if it'd been 5 seconds, there'd be a name on your door already, though, that eventually got turned into planet implanting pacemaker. Well, I had to learn to live with that. It's not totally seamless if you go right out of the door, dash fast as you can, but they might not catch up with you. So what I have to do now is when I go up to the starting line, I'm still running in place, hopping around and everything just to inform that pacemaker that we're about to use a lot of oxygen there next to that few seconds. So it works. It works. And my doctors still encouragement. You know, as I hear you just share that story and thank you for that. Just amazes me because 21 when this happens, a lot of people would just say, you know what, I've done enough on the track, I've done enough. Yet you keep moving forward, keep trying to better yourself, beat the odds. And it's it's truly remarkable. And I know our listening audience is going to be inspired to learn from you hear from you, John. You know, I wish you continued success not only on the track, but off the track. Wish you would, Sandy. You know, all your goals and aspirations for your life and with your your children, your grandchildren, great grandchildren all come true. Keep believing in yourself and keep the Lord close, because I know that he's got a lot more plan for you on and off the track in, you know, our listening audience be reminded. One of the greatest things I heard John talk about today was if you think you can't, you're right. And if you think you can, you're also right. So it's all about mindset and having, you know, tracking your goals, as John did early on, as he picked you, put on the spikes at age 61. I like to think about three things each and every day is I wake up in the morning and one of which is just be grateful for today. Be grateful that you're able to take a breath, be grateful that you have food on the table. And it's really important to practice gratitude through the storms that you have in your life. And everybody has ups and downs. It's really through those valleys that gratitude is most important. Secondly, really pay attention to who you're right in front of. And John, not been paying attention to Jim Mathis. When he was in college, he would not have been inspired to follow in his footsteps at age 61. And lastly, pay attention to how you're feeding your mind, your body and your soul. Today's guest was John Hurd, the sprinter that's still sprinting at the age of 91 and has won over 160 medals, including ones at the Senior Olympics. So if today's show inspired you in some way, shape or form, subscribed to today's show, comment on it and share it with others, with gratitude. Matt Listeners. Until next time, find the courage to be grateful. Godspeed, my friends.