Fitness
Jerry Jerome heads out from his home in Birmingham.
Fast Paced
ALAN HITSKY
Associate Editor
Racewalking
and diet have
become a way
of life for state
champion
Jerry Jerome.
ou'll have to get up ear-
ly to catch up with Jer-
ry Jerome.
5:30 a.m. to be exact.
That's when Mr. Jerome
rolls out of bed five days a
week to begin a 90-minute rou-
tine that has changed his
health and his life.
He begins his day with 30
minutes of stretching exercis-
es. He then leaves his Birm-
ingham home for a brisk,
championship pace, four-mile
walk. He ends his exercise ses-
sion with a cool-down period
and more stretching.
The routine changes on the
weekend. On Saturday, Mr.
Jerome spends four hours
walking north through the
grounds of the Cranbrook Ed-
ucational Community and do-
ing his stretching. On Sunday,
he'll often be found at the Jew-
ish Community Center Health
Club, walking 4-5 miles out-
doors, doing some speed work,
using the Center's exercise
equipment, and possibly work-
ing out with fellow Senior
Olympic walker Julius Spiel-
berg, age 88.
Monday is his day of rest,
when Mr. Jerome "sleeps in"
until 7.
A lifelong athlete, Mr.
Jerome earned letters in foot-
ball and baseball at Chicago's
Roosevelt High School before
World War II. He earned a box-
ing scholarship to Gonzaga
University in Spokane, Wash.,
y
charge of the healthful foods says Mr. Jerome. "It keeps the
muscles strong, limber and
that I eat."
With both his diet and exer- elastic. I'm talking yoga-type
cise program in line, Mr. stretching, not fast, quick
Jerome has attacked the Se- stretching. It's the key to keep-
nior Olympics with a ing you injury-free."
An energetic senior citizen
vengeance. He has won his
Michigan age group the last who works full time as a man-
three years, winning the 1500 ufactuers' representative for
meters in Holland, Mich., this furniture companies, Mr.
summer in 9:23 and the five Jerome says his sport is a great
kilometer race in 29:48. He fin- conditioner "and it energizes
ished seventh in the nationals you.
"I'm never tired. I go to sleep
in 1991 and plans to compete
in the 1993 nationals in Baton at 10 or 11 every night and I
sleep soundly until the alarm
Rouge, La.
But he also knows his limi- wakes me. And feeling like I
tations. He skipped an inter- do, I'll never quit working."
Not even Michigan's cold
national event in September
that was hosted by the Wolver- winter months slow him down.
ine Pacers. "I competed last If it's well below zero, or if
"Stretching is the key
year," he says, "and finished there is a hard, driving rain,
to keeping you injury-
last out of 150 walkers." World- he'll work out on a stationary
free."
class walkers compete in the bicycle. But for normal win-
event, and they can cover a ter weather, he puts on his
— Jerry Jerome
mile in under seven minutes. gloves, a face mask, polypropo-
Mr. Jerome's sustained walk- lene long underwear and his
Within a year, in 1988, he ing pace is between nine and contentment at staying in
shape. ❑
competed in the state Senior 10 minutes for a mile.
"My goal is to do a mile in
Olympics in Southfield, qual-
ifying for the 1989 national Se- 8:30," says Mr. Jerome. "That
nior Olympics. But a routine would win a national champi-
insurance physical, leading to onship." He also plans to com-
five heart bypasses, took him pete in a senior event in Israel
out of the national race in St. in November.
In race walking, one foot
Louis.
The surgery and the walking must touch the ground at all
have changed his life. "No times and the knee is not al-
more fat; no more cholesterol," lowed to bend. Mr. Jerome cau-
says Mr. Jerome. He carries a tions that novice walkers
solid 175 pounds on his 5-11 interested in becoming com-
petitive should learn proper
frame, "down from 195."
His wife Jane is his cheer- technique for the arms, legs
leader, but she does not walk and the unique hip action of
with him. "She's naturally in race walking.
Another key is stretching ex-
good shape all the time," Mr.
Jerome says, "and she's in ercises. "It helps a great deal,"
after becoming one of the first
Jews to win an Illinois Golden
Gloves title.
An avid jogger in his adult
years, Mr. Jerome turned to
race walking in the mid-1980s
after a knee problem ended his -
jogging career.
He attended a race walking
clinic at the Jewish Communi-
ty Center that was taught by
walking guru Frank Alongi,
coach of the Wolverine Pacers
club in Dearborn and the U.S.
national team. The timing of
the clinic, coming soon after his
injury, "was beautiful," recalls
Mr. Jerome.
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