At 40, Far From the Finish Line

Defying Age, Harvey Excels at Masters Level

"The tug-of-war is now trying to find the time and the dedication," said Alisa Harvey, here working out while her 11-year-old daughter, Virginia, looks on. (By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)

Alisa Harvey dreaded the arrival of that mid-September day last year.

As an elite runner and former NCAA track champion, she had heard of and seen runners break down after reaching age 40. Most of the world-class athletes against whom she competed during her long career had given up running by that age after realizing they could no longer perform consistently at a high level. Harvey anxiously awaited her body's response to the unwelcome milestone, even wondering a bit seriously if she would experience a physical change as the clock struck midnight on her birthday.

She woke up on Sept. 16 to find her petite, lean body in working order, though. And it hasn't betrayed her since. In fact, Harvey is enjoying a renaissance of sorts at 40. During the last seven months, the Manassas resident has set three American records (one has since been broken) in the women's 40-year-old division of USA Track and Field's Masters level and has proven that 40 doesn't necessarily signify the finish line for an elite runner's career.

"I always thought, certainly that by 40, that there's no way," Harvey said recently. "But what I'm finding is that, no, I'm not slower. I'm not weaker. And if I put the energy into it, I probably could run as fast or close to as fast" as before.

Harvey will run today downtown in the 8K Race to Stop the Silence, the latest event on what has been a busy schedule. Three weeks ago at the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, Harvey won the 800- and 400-meter races in the women's 40-year-old division. Her time of 2 minutes 8.68 seconds in the 800 was just 1.45 seconds slower than the divisional American-record time she ran on Feb. 18 at a meet in Lynchburg. She finished the 400 in 57.81, only 0.41 of a second slower than the divisional American record.

Admittedly, Harvey has excelled in Masters track because of her longtime status as an elite runner. While many competitors in Masters track and field begin seriously competing in their late twenties and thirties, Harvey has stood out since her days at Jefferson High School in Fairfax. There, she won several indoor and outdoor state championships and earned a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. In 1986, she won the NCAA 1500-meter championship in 4:17.48.

Harvey is enticed by the challenge of setting records at her age. Ask her about running at 40 and she'll reel off the names of runners at or near 40 that made the Olympic team, such as Francie Larrieu and Jearl Miles-Clark. Her craving for competition and love for running haven't waned over the years, though there have been reasons why she could have significantly scaled back her training and racing schedule. As the mother of two daughters, 11 and 4, she juggles family responsibilities and a part-time job.

"The tug-of-war is now trying to find the time and the dedication," Harvey said. "Years ago as an elite, it was easier because you are on contract. They were paying me a monthly salary. Now, I don't have any of that. It does make it more difficult because it's a cross between fun and serious."

Harvey was not deterred by her retreat from the brink of Olympic competition and two pregnancies during which she gained more than 50 pounds each time. She trains for about 10 hours a week, often commuting to George Mason's Fairfax campus to work out on the track there. Harvey also eats well and abstains from alcohol, healthy habits she developed long ago that have precipitated her longevity in the sport. She is extremely fit with a body that would make most 20-year-olds jealous.

"She's certainly not inclined to gain weight," said Robert Vaughan, one of Harvey's former coaches and the Chairman of Training Theory for the USA Track and Field Coaching Education division. "Genetically there, she hasn't gotten fat over the years. That's one thing that people lose. They lose oxygen intake because . . . their body composition changes, and I don't think hers has."

Harvey's recent success and the enjoyment she derives from competing fuel her desire to continue, although she admits she's unsure which has a bigger impact. To ensure that both persist, she recently joined the Athena Track Club, a fledgling group of elite female Masters competitors from around the country that was co-founded by Ashburn resident Julie Hayden.

For the time being, Harvey can't predict when she will stop running competitively. She has the time and the resources to keep up with a busy racing schedule. So as long as she stays healthy and maintains a balance of fun and success, why quit?

"I've been lucky and blessed with a body that's put together very well," Harvey said. "I will probably be able to be running still at 60. I will do it still socially and just be loving it."