At 80 years old, Kewanee resident John Blake decided it wasn’t too late to try something new — or, in his case, something he hadn’t attempted since grade school.
Last month, Blake competed in the Quad Cities Summer Games, formerly known as the Senior Olympics. This year marks the 35th year for the event but Blake’s first time participating. He walked away with a first‑place finish in the high jump and second place in the 100‑meter dash.
Not bad for someone who hadn’t high‑jumped in 64 years.
“I hadn’t high jumped since grade school,” Blake said. “Back then I set the school record at 5-4.”
Blake said he had seen advertisements of the Quad Cities Senior Olympics and after researching the records held by participants, he felt he was fit enough to do it.
Blake’s confidence in his fitness isn’t an accident. For years, he has kept a steady routine: walking and jogging two to three miles at Pleasant View Cemetery, and completing 120 push‑ups and bicep curls every other day. Preparing for the Summer Games meant adding more focused training.
“For the QC events, I added running the straightaways and up and down the bleachers at KHS,” he said. “KHS also let me practice high jumping on their high jump stand.”
Blake is no stranger to local races, either. He regularly runs the Hog Day 4‑Mile and the Run Your Ice Off 5K and has won his age group in both events several times.
With two medals now hanging from his first appearance at the Quad Cities Summer Games, Blake isn’t slowing down. His list of future goals includes running more 5Ks, taking the Quad Cities Honor Flight, trying boxing and even ultralight flying.
For Blake, age is simply a number, and one he refuses to let define what he can do next.
