Noriko Seiner was one of the 12,000 runners lined up at Hayward Field at 7 am April 27. She had run several half marathons and 10k races in the past few years, but the last time she ran a marathon was 30 years ago. She crossed the finish line with a time of four hours and 55 minutes, beating her goal of under five hours.
Seiner was also the oldest female runner who finished the full marathon this year at the age of 64.
She always loved exercising. When she moved to the U.S. from Japan for college in the 1980s, she got into an aerobics class, since it was popular then. But after a while, it was not challenging enough for her, leading her to start running. Seiner started with a jog-walk, then “two miles became three miles, and I did a 5k race,” she says. “Running became part of my lifestyle.”
Seiner says she always focuses on a goal, whether it’s finishing a race or completing it in a specific time. She also found a running club that did a “qualify for Boston” training. With the running club’s support and dedication, she qualified for the Boston Marathon with eight seconds to spare in 1993. When she ran races, she consistently finished well in her age group.
When she had her two children, family became priority. She kept running, but paused marathon training, which requires a major time commitment.
She moved to Corvallis when her daughter went to Oregon State University, and Seiner started hiking, cross-training and backpacking, rebuilding her endurance. She began running on trails and did some half marathons before running the full marathon this spring.
Seiner, in her 60s, is a masters athlete, but did you know that a 45-year-old can also be called a masters athlete? According to the International Tennis Federation, players over 30 are considered masters.
Local tennis coach Calle Hanssen, 45, won the Men’s National 45s Hardcourt Championships held by the Westlake Athletic Club in California for the 45-50 age group this spring, making him the champion in the U.S. for the 45s and above.
Hanssen is the director of tennis at the Eugene Swim & Tennis Club, a position he has held since 2022.
Tennis has always been a passion and a significant part of Hanssen’s lifestyle. Growing up in Sweden, he first got interested in tennis because his older brother was playing it. He grew his love for the technical aspects of the sport, and when he was 10, he won his first tournament at the club where he played. “It created my little identity there,” Hanssen says.
He was one of the top three players in Sweden between ages 12 and 18. “I loved it,” he says. “I love the pressure, I love the competition.” When he was 16, he attended a tennis academy and played some amateur leagues.
Then, Hanssen got a call from Pepperdine University, and he moved to Malibu, California, to play on its Division 1 men’s tennis team. He says that was one of the greatest experiences, getting an education and playing tennis with great teammates. He was a two-time All-American and qualified as a singles player, a doubles player, and a team player during his college tennis career.
After graduating, Hanssen traveled around the world with his former teammates for a year and a half on a pro tour. Although it was challenging to make a living from it, he says he is glad for the experience.
He stopped playing competitively and shifted to coaching tennis when he was 26.
Looking back, Hanssen also says that he felt almost burnt out after playing competitively in college. “Once people are super competitive, then they stop playing. It is frustrating when you feel like you are not at the same level as you were,” he says.
Hassen now has his own children and work responsibilities, so he says he plays in tournaments maybe once a year.
Two months before the masters championship at Westlake — where he used to coach — he started training to get ready. “I played pretty good all the way to the final, and the final was amazing,” he says as the final match was intense and he “felt like I went back 20 years” in front of friends, family and old co-workers.
“It definitely takes practice, you have to prepare yourself, as you get older,” he says, “you have to be more thoughtful to play in a tournament.”
For about 20 years, Hanssen has been coaching youth and adults, starting in California and now at Eugene Swim & Tennis. At the masters championship at Westlake, he also got to see his former students now grown up, married, and some with children.
“I feel having a good sport for them, being positive, encouraging, being there for them, is more than tennis,” he says.
Seiner had another goal besides running a marathon — climbing up to the top of Japan. On July 31, Seiner hiked up Gotemba Trail on Mount Fuji, 7,776-feet elevation gain to the summit, 12,389 feet, a “steep climb and descent on scree and volcanic rocks,” she writes. “I try not to think about my age as much,” she says, “my knees are still good.”
Find the closest tennis courts in public parks at Eugene-Or.Gov/TennisCourtLocations. Join free drop-in group runs with Eugene Running Company, 6 pm on Mondays, at Eugene Running Company, 116 Oakway Center. Run Hub Northwest has drop-in group runs, 6 pm on Wednesdays at Run Hub Northwest, 515 High Street. Find more at Eugene, Cascades & Oregon Coast/ Group Runs & Training Clubs. Group runs welcome all speed and levels.