He's No Fool in the Pool

Posted August 1, 2007, 7:00 pm by Growing Bolder Staff


One of the most amazing feats in the history of competitive swimming took place earlier this year and no one heard anything about it. But what Graham Johnston did is nothing short of stunning. Just weeks shy of his 76th birthday, he broke six records ... in one race!

The event was the 1650, which is just under a mile. His splits were so fast he set age group records in the 50, the 100 and 200, and he set national records in the 500, 1000 and 1650. He was thrilled to tell Growing Bolder the good news. How did he do it?

"I think it's all a state of mind. I don't think like a 76-year-old," Johnston told Growing Bolder from his home in Houston. "The people I swim with are in their 30s and 40s, and that's where my mind is. They regard me as one of them, and I regard myself as one of them. Therefore, I think young. And I think that's the thing that most people should not do, and that's say, 'I'm old. You're not old. You're only as old as you think you are.'"

But nothing about Johnston should surprise us. He seems to have found the formula to defy time. In fact, five years ago, his time in the 1650m was just six seconds slower than his gold medal winning time in the Commonwealth Games in 1950. He set eight world records at the 2006 World Masters Championships, and he's the oldest person ever to swim the Strait of Gibraltar, which is 10 to 12 nautical miles.

"Good living has got a lot to do with it. I don't drink, don't smoke and I've been married for 52 years. I live a very temperate life, we don't do a lot of night life, and I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables."

Johnston says equally important to the physical part of training is the mental and social aspect.

"I train five to six times a week. What helps keep me going is I happen to have a very nice group to work out with. One of the amazing things about masters swimming is it doesn't matter what level you are, it's a friendship thing. We train together, socialize together and that way everybody's a champion."

Johnston insists you don't have to be breaking records to be dedicated to keeping yourself in the best physical condition you can. He says if you don't push too hard, don't expect too much too soon, and don't make training seem like work, you'll have a great chance at success.

"As long as you just get out there and and do your best, instead of growing obese you're going to live longer and have a quality life."

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