By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Bob Gralley, 82, was asked to compete on the Erickson Retirement Communities Relay Team in the Columbia Triathlon with athletes half his age, he didn’t bat an eye. Since he was already running 20 miles each week and biking 15, the 6.2-mile stretch was a walk in the park for this seasoned runner.

“I was happy to have the opportunity to be a part of the team,” says Gralley, who lives at Oak Crest. “I used to do a lot of competitive running when I lived in Connecticut, but they don’t have too many 80-year-old age brackets in races. So now I just enjoy jogging, exercising, and I run the Baltimore Marathon with my son every year,” he says.

The May 18 race, held at Centennial Lake in Ellicott City, combined a 1.5-kilometer swim, 41-kilometer bike route, and 10-kilometer run. Gralley’s teammates Craig Erickson, executive director of Wind Crest in Colorado, and Jennifer Tillman of Erickson’s Corporate Business Plan Improvement department did the swimming and cycling, respectively.

After being asked to join the team, Gralley, who has run more than 47,000 miles in his lifetime and competed in 41 marathons, began a weekly fitness routine that would put most 20-year-olds to shame. “I have a regimen that I follow,” he says. “I go out first thing in the morning and run a few miles. Or if the weather is bad, I’ll work out in the fitness center. Then on Saturdays, I bike with my son on the Northern Central Trail in Hunt Valley.”

Kerry Jones, Erickson regional vice president, was one of six Erickson  employees who competed solo in the race. “Bob is a role model for people of all ages,” says Jones. “We knew he was a competitive runner and an amazing man, and he proved it in the race.”

As for Gralley, there’s no question that his love of running has paid off tenfold when it comes to his health. “I’ve been fortunate to have good health and to have knees and hips that held up to all this running,” he says. “As long as I enjoy it, I figure, why stop?”