Tuomas Ukonmaanaho, 79, is the current Canadian record holder for the men’s decathlon for 75-79 year-old-men with a score of 5440 that he set in 2022. Ukonmaanaho has set countless world, Canadian and BC records in his specialties of sprinting 100m and 200m, 4 by 400 m and 4 by 800 m relays, as well as in pole vault. Currently the superstar athlete ranks No. 1 in Canada in the 100 metres with a time of 14.84 seconds, No. 2 in pole vault with a height of 2.30m and No. 3 in javelin with a throw of 28.24m.
Canadian indoor rankings see Ukon Tom, as the Prince George Track & Field club members call him, ranked No. 2 in the 60 metre with a time of 9:35 seconds, No. 2 in the 400 metres with a time of 1:18.31 and No. 3 in shot put with a throw of 9.17m.
Tara Weber, 34, is the best powerlifter in Canadian history. In her most recent win at the Olympia Super Finals competition in Florida in November, Webber lifted 1,565.27 lbs. in one day during her squat of 705.47 lbs., bench press of 358.24 lbs., and dead lift of 501.56 lbs. She also holds world and Canadian records.
On the same page is Tina Lamarsh, who started power lifting at 50 and then at 51 broke Canadian records for her age category. She was encouraged to start by her son who was lifting himself and now her it’s-never-too-late attitude can spur everyone into action at any age.
Death racer Larry Malmgren, 62, was looking for a way to get into shape and then as it goes with some motivated people he found what he liked and took it to the extreme. In August, he completed the Canadian Death Race in Grand Cache, Alberta where he ran 118 km that begins and ends on a 4,200-foot plateau passing over three mountain summits that offers a 17,000 foot elevation change. He finished the race in under 20 hours and placed 52 out of 286.
Lauri Karjaluoto, 78, moved to Prince George for the cross country skiing decades ago and continues to be an avid athlete. From the age of 70 to 75 he would ski his age in kilometres on his birthday. Lauri’s message is always that it’s never too late to start something new. “Just come out and ski,” he advises.
UNBC prof Stephen Rader, 59, is coach, mentor and player for the university’s underwater hockey team, the Timberwhales. Stephen is in the pool with people who are half his age and he’s showing them how it’s done.
The team of curlers whose combined age is 305 years, beginning with Skip Floyd Crowley, who at 84 years old drops to the arena floor and does push ups to warm up. David George is the youngest on the team at 69, Linda Meise is 73 and Hilary Crowley is 79. They are a competitive team that outplayed everyone else in Zone 9 to participate in the 2022 55+ BC Games.
