Jim Henderson is pictured here leaving the bicycle corral and starting the 5K portion of the recent Culver Triathlon. photo by marabeth levett

CULVER - He pulled a fast one on them. No, not intentionally, but he did.

In the second annual Culver Triathlon held July 8, Jim Henderson was credited with winning the 73-78 age group, as he was listed as 74-years-old. Maybe his penmanship on the entry form wasn't so hot or just maybe someone read the ‘1' from his real age, 71, as a ‘4' instead. Regardless, he would have won the 70-72 age group too.

His overall time was 1:20:35 as in one hour, 20 minutes, 35 seconds. How would you feel after walking around the mall for almost an hour-and-a-half?

No, the question isn't how did Henderson wind up in the wrong age group? The question is, why is someone his age doing triathlons?

“Like they say with mountain climbers, because it was there,” Henderson said.

There in Culver, that is.

“The pressure was on,” joked Henderson, who has strong ties to the area.

The Culver Military Academy graduate (1952) has been on the school board for 30 years and is nearing a decade-long run as its chairman. After college (Princeton), a five-year Navy stint and a long and successful career culminating as the CEO of Cummins, one of the largest diesel engine companies in the country located in Columbus, Ind., Henderson spends much of his retirement time near the Lake Maxinkuckee shores.

The John W. Henderson ice hockey arena on the Academy campus is named after his father. Former Academy and Princeton basketball standout Mitch Henderson, now an assistant coach for the men's program at Northwestern, is his nephew.

“I really wanted to do the triathlon since it was here in Culver,” Henderson added.

And it's not like this man has a long history for this type of event. His first and only triathlon was last year . . . at the first annual Culver Triathlon. His first competitive 5K? When he was 60. He won his age group then, too.

“I run often, but mainly as a stress reliever,” he said. “Cycling? I can improve there. The swimming part, since I grew up in Culver, I was like everyone else and used the lake. I enjoyed the triathlon last year. I did it in about the same time this year, but the course was tougher this time around, especially the swim.”

That may be because just before the start of the 1/4-mile swim - the first of the three events, the others being, in order, a 10.5-mile bike ride followed by a 5K run - the wind picked up and it started to rain.

“They had us older competitors start the swim out in front of everyone. I saw the backs of a lot of good athletes pass me,” said Henderson with a laugh. “The water was very choppy and I drank some, but the crawl and breaststroke got me through it.”

Once out of the water, it was time to hop on the bike. His training prior to the race consisted of, “trying to ride fast for 20 miles. Then as it got closer to the race day, I practiced transitioning from the bike to running. Someone told me last year that would be a difficult thing.”

With legs feeling like half-chilled jello, all that was left was a run of three-plus miles.

“That is the hardest part,” Henderson admitted. “That first mile is a struggle. It is a little painful, but I trained for it.”

Ah yes, the training. How does one train for such an event - especially when over the age of 70?

“I tried to swim 1/4 mile about twice per week, either in a pool or in the lake,” Henderson continued. “I would try to ride the bike about 12-15 miles a couple times a week and run 5K or longer a couple of times. Some days I would do two of the events. Once in a while I would not do any of them and just rest.

“About five days before the actual race I did the whole thing. That was an eye-opener. Then two days before I rested completely except for walking the golf course where the run would be. There were more hills than I thought!”

So just five days after his dress rehearsal came the real McCoy and he finished 15 minutes faster than his training race.

“You really get an adrenaline rush on race day,” proposed Henderson about the improvement. “There were a lot of spectators and a good spirit around the athletes. I get a lot of energy being around the young people.”

Like those in the 65-69 age group?

“I liked it,” Henderson went on. “I suppose I'll wait until next year and decide if I want to do it again. You really get a sense of accomplishment afterwards.”

He may have been inadvertently placed in the wrong class for the official results, but Henderson's performance is truly inspirational. Older class, younger class, right class, wrong class, it doesn't matter. He did it - and did it with class.