By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
At 83 years old, Don Zeek still laces up his running shoes, heads for the starting line and crosses the finish line.
This year, he chalked up his 33rd time running in a remarkable local tradition—the Pemberville 5-Miler race.
The race itself has been around for about 45 years, but an injury unrelated to running kept him out of some of the early events. Still, three decades of participation is an accomplishment that reflects something much bigger than any single race.
For Zeek, running has been a part of life since high school.
“I ran cross country in high school and I always enjoyed it,” he said. While there were interruptions along the way — including his time in the military after being drafted during the Vietnam era — he has made running a consistent part of his fitness routine.
Around age 30, as organized running clubs and weekend races became more popular, Zeek began entering races regularly. More than five decades later, he is still at it.
But he credits his longevity to one important decision he made early in life: moderation.
He never became a marathon runner.
“I made a decision not to run marathons because I saw so many of my friends beating themselves up,” he said. “They’re not running anymore because it’s hard on the knees and the ankles, the low back, hips.”
Instead, he stuck with shorter races, including 5Ks and five-mile events.
Now, at 83, he considers himself fortunate to still be able to compete.
“I didn’t realize it until recently — I’m kind of rare because I’m 83 and I can still go to races, the short ones,” he said, with the caveat that he’s a bit slower than he once was.
However, he now has an advantage because, usually, there is much less competition in his age group.
“Sometimes, if nobody else shows up,” he joked when asked if he wins his age group.
The competitive spirit, however, is still very much there.
“When I do them, I try to do it as quickly as I can,” he said.
That determination once got the better of him during a particularly hot Pemberville 5-Miler. With temperatures near 90 degrees, Zeek pushed himself too hard and suffered heat exhaustion. He had to be picked up by an ambulance and was unable to finish.
“I hydrated. I was just pushing it too hard,” he said.
Still, one difficult race has not changed his love for the sport.
These days, he typically runs every other day, about three times a week. That is another lesson learned over a lifetime of running: the body needs time to recover.
Running was a daily habit for many years, he admitted. “But I realized that you don’t have to train that much.”
In addition to running, Zeek takes time to exercise, strength train and canoe, including a four-day canoe trip two years ago from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Lake Erie.
“I just try to stay fit,” he said, a habit started as a high school cross country runner, through two years in the Air Force during the Vietnam War serving as a Russian interpreter stationed in Turkey, and throughout his career in insurance claims.
After he retired, he happily discovered it’s a lot easier to stay fit because there is so much more free time. “So why not spend it vigorously exercising every day since you have time?” he said.
When he does run, though, he still gives it his best effort.
“A lot of it’s just competing with myself,” he said.
Trying to beat his own previous performance has always been part of the appeal, even if he knows getting faster with age is no longer realistic.
The motivation today is different, but no less powerful.
Running has helped him maintain his fitness and control his weight, and he believes exercise has allowed him to continue doing the other things he enjoys in life.
“It’s enabled me to keep up with doing other things,” he said. “I think exercise is very important.”
His running routes near home offer more than exercise. He enjoys the rural scenery, the river and the occasional wildlife encounter.
He has seen eagles and crossed paths with snapping turtles. And once, he nearly had an even more memorable encounter.
A buck with a large set of antlers suddenly came out of the woods and ran in front of him.
“I thought, wow, I’ll make headlines,” he recalled, laughing.
“Man impaled by a deer.” Fortunately, that headline was never written.
Instead, Zeek’s story is one of endurance — not just in a single race, but across an entire lifetime.
His father may have helped inspire that outlook. Zeek remembered his father, then in his 60s, rode a bicycle from Denver back to his home in Indiana, a journey that took about two weeks.
“I guess I inherited that a bit,” he said.
Today, Zeek continues to run, continues to compete, and continues to show up.
And when asked whether he plans to keep racing, his answer was simple.
“Oh, yeah. As long as I’m not injured, I don’t see any reason not to.”
After 33 Pemberville 5-Milers, he still enjoys stepping off at the starting line and crossing the finish line.
