Dick Voneugen knows you're out there.
There's a new crop of the 55-and-older crowd who aren't quite ready for the rocking chair and Voneugen says they are prime candidates for the B.C. Seniors Games Sept. 9-13 in Langley. Traditionally, not lot of them sign up for Seniors Games and Voneugen thinks that's because they might think they're too young to be labeled seniors.
But according to the 81-year-old Voneugen, if those young whippersnappers don't register, they're missing out on a lot of fun.
Despite a hip replacement a couple years ago, Voneugen competed at the Seniors Games last year in Kamloops. A former competitive cyclist in his native Holland, he's competed in at least 20 B.C. Seniors Games.
"It started in 1988 in Vernon with about 800 people and now it has grown to 3,400 people," Voneugen said.
"They have an event for the cripples, for the hip and knee replacement people, a 2,000 racewalk on the track. Unfortunately I was there by myself [last year] in all the age groups and there was one lady. I think what happens is most people give up by then."
There's no quit in Voneugen, not when he has so many other senior track and field athletes to inspire him, like 69-year-old Prince George sprinter/high jumper Tom Ukonmaanaho; longtime Prince George track and Field Club coach Tom Masich, a 78-year-old veteran of two knee replacements who still competes in all the throwing events; and 95-year-old Senior Games veteran Olga Kotelko of Vancouver, who holds every track and field world record for her age group.
Voneugen says he might do three events in Langley -- the 2,000m, 5,000m and 10,000m racewalks.
"I've been a bit lazy this winter so I'll have to pick it up when I get to the track," said Voneugen.
The Seniors Games sports/games offered in Langley are: archery, badminton, bocce, bridge, carpet bowling, cribbage, cycling, darts, dragonboat racing, equestrian, five-pin bowling, floor curling, golf, horseshoes, ice curling, ice hockey, lawn bowling, pickleball, slo-pitch, soccer, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and whist.
Anybody interested in signing up for Games events are invited to register at Masich Place Stadium on Wednesday, May 28 from 4-7 p.m.
The Prince George Road Runners' Dick Voneugen Run is set for Sunday, keeping up a tradition Voneugen started years ago with a group of his friends on his birthday in July. Until he was 60, Voneugen would run one kilometre for every year of his age. The following year he started reducing the distance by one kilometre every year and last completed his birthday run at age 72 when he ran and rode his mountain bike 48 km.
"When I was doing the birthday run it never happened on my birthday, we just picked a good weekend that was suitable to most," said Voneugen.
The Road Runners revived the run two years ago to celebrate Voneugen's 80th birthday.
Voneugen, who turns 82 in July, will provide a mobile aid station for the group of off-road runners who will run various trails in the city over distances that range from 7.5km to 82 km.
The start times and locations are as follows: 82km route, 6:30 a.m., Otway Nordic Centre; 50 km, 10:15 a.m., Foothills Boulevard crossing (north of the Nechako River); 42.2 km, 11:30 a.m., North Nechako Road (near Edgewood Terrace); 24 km, 1:20 p.m., Blue Spruce campground; 18 km, 2 p.m., UNBC Greenway Trail parking lot; 7.5 km, 3:15 p.m.,Otway Nordic Centre.
