At 105, He Still Throws Self Into Sports

[Cass]

In a town of exclusive clubs, John Whittemore is in a league of his own.

It's not just that he turned 105 last weekend. More Americans are attaining such dizzying ages each year, but Whittemore is the only one who just set a national record for the javelin throw.

One morning last month, the long-retired teacher hobbled in his walker out to the starting line at a UC Santa Barbara track. With all the cartilage in one knee virtually gone, he took an agonizing 45 minutes to go about 100 yards.

"He wouldn't allow anyone to help him," said Beverley Lewis, a former Australian long-jumper who officiated the event for USA Track and Field, the sport's governing body in the U.S. "He just absolutely refused to give in."

Exhausted, Whittemore signaled for someone to grab his walker. With that, he squeezed the well-worn cork grip of his 6 1/2 -foot javelin, drew his right arm back, and let it fly.

It landed a bit more than 11 feet away. That's 272 feet short of the hurl that snagged an Olympic gold medal for Norway last summer. Still, for a fellow in a walker who was born just after the Spanish-American War, that 11-foot toss reflected an Olympian will.

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