Wednesday, July 30, 2003

By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

He runs, bikes and kayaks at a pretty fast pace for miles on end. And although Jim Hurst, of Scott, is a dedicated and highly competitive athlete, he's quick to point out that he won his newest first-place trophy because he had no competition.

Hurst, 78, was the only man entered in the 75-to-79-year-old division in the Seagate Pittsburgh Triathlon & Adventure Race earlier this month. In fact, he was the only man over the age of 65. He competed in the Adventure Race, kayaking two miles on the Allegheny River, biking 12 miles in the North Hills HOV lane, and running 3.2 miles. He finished the Adventure Race in 2:10:03.

"It was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful day and the event was extremely well-run," Hurst said.

He has been competing in triathlons and marathons for 30 years, usually two of each per year. "I don't think I could continue doing this at my age if I hadn't been doing this for so long," he said.

For Hurst much of the thrill is competing and finishing and having fun. In his latest race, he didn't even stick around to get his official time.

"I know in the bike portion my time was 53 minutes. That's pretty good, I think. I'm overjoyed. I did pass some boys and men on heavy mountain bikes, but the people on the $4,000 racing bikes passed me like I was standing still."

Hurst used "a $200 road bike" in the Adventure Race, which had 150 competitors. There were 450 in the triathlon.

In the Pittsburgh Marathon, Hurst finished in 6 hours, 38 minutes and 37 seconds, and was the 1,522th person to cross the finish line. He was fifth out of six in the 70-and-over division, "and if they had a 75-79 category, I would have been first in that."

His long-distance accomplishments are especially noteworthy in view of his aortic valve replacement last year and cardiac bypass surgery five years ago.

The retired PPG chemist is well known in fitness circles and at the Jewish Community Center South in Scott, where he works out regularly. He also teaches kayaking at the JCC pool, runs at the Downtown YMCA, rides a bike regularly and does white-water kayaking in Ohiopyle, Fayette County.

He said he averages about an hour of training per day and two hours of running on some, but not all, Sundays.

"I am avid but not addicted," Hurst said with a chuckle.

His favorite athletic activity is probably white-water kayaking and canoeing, which he has been doing for 50 years.

Hurst did a 300-mile bike ride, just for fun, in June. With 15 people, many of them members of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, he biked from Washington, D.C., to McKeesport. The trip was eight days, and they rode an average of 40 miles per day.

The trip is known as the Yokatomac Trek, and Hurst has made it four of the past five years.

His next adventure is taking a shot at the Senior Olympics, which will be held in Pittsburgh in 2005. "To qualify you have to finish first, second or third in the state competition," Hurst said. "I'll give it a try. My best shot is the triathlon because there are extremely fast runners entered in marathons."

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