Senior Style

Going the distance: Athletes over 70 "Riding with the people is really the charm of the whole thing," he says, but even when he's riding with others, he's alone with his thoughts and can do a lot of reflecting. Freitas, a Corte Madera resident, had a knee replacement in June and has been using a stationary bike during his recovery. He's always ridden at least three times a week and is eager to get back on the road. He has two grandchildren, 4 and 6, who live just five miles away in Kentfield, which he says is an easy ride. "They're both accomplished skiers now," he says. "My short-term goal is to ride bikes and ski with my grandkids." Four holes-in-one for senior golfer Theresa Leahy is a hole-in-one champ, but golf is just one of the sports she enjoys. She started running when she was 30. A friend challenged her to run on the bayside path in Tiburon. She went on to compete in the Double Dipsea and marathons, and in her 40s, she took up golf so she could play with her husband, an avid golfer, on vacation. "It was pretty difficult to start," she says, explaining that golf requires hand-eye coordination, unlike running. She persisted, though, and as her game improved, she started competing in tournaments. A member of the Marin Country Club in Novato, Leahy, 73, finds golf requires minimizing mistakes, because it's a game of inches, and a shot that's just a little off target can get a player into a lot of trouble. "You can make a mistake by just being a little off. It requires so much concentration," she says. She considers it a mental game that allows her to make the perfect stroke or shot. She's had four holes-in-one — three of them in August of this year — and she considers the accomplishment a combination of skill and luck, with selecting the correct club important. Rather than using a golf cart, she walks and carries her bag, because it's good exercise and allows her to become familiar with the courses. "It's very relaxing, because you spend time walking with nature," she says. "I strongly believe in well-rounded fitness, especially as we age," she adds. Leahy runs, walks and does weight training and yoga regularly to gain cardio, flexibility and strength. She's also discovered long-distance trekking and says, "Trekking is so much fun; it's my new love." 'Tennis found me' says daily player "I used to be a windsurfing fanatic," Christa Keeling recalls. The wind on the bay drops in the fall, however, so she needed another activity, and when she was about 50, she decided to give tennis lessons a try. "I took that first class, and I've never stopped since," she says. "I don't know what my life was like before tennis." Clockwise from left: Theresa Leahy at the Golden Madonna in Mount Rosa, Italy. Forty-five minutes after this photo was taken, Leahy stepped down a boulder with a full backpack and tore her right achilles. Leahy had to side step to continue, and was eventually picked up by an Air Zermatt helicopter. Leahy avoided surgery by faithfully doing Bikram yoga with recovery in less than three months; Christa Keeling, third from right, at a district tournament in Sacramento; Leahy carrying her own golf bag at Poppy Hills, Pebble Beach; Bob Freitas has 50 assorted bikes in his collection. – Photos courtesy of Theresa Leahy, Christa Keeling, Bob Freitas A Marketing Supplement of the Marin Independent Journal | marinij.com Senior Style October 17, 2021 7

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