Seventy-nine-year-old John McManus sat in his warm-ups in the stands at the Reggie Lewis field house at Roxbury Community College, chatting with friends and cheering on the athletes at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Masters National Championships.

But Mr. McManus, who had traveled to Boston for the event from his home in Woodside, N.Y., wasn't there just to watch. Over the course of the three-day meet in March he competed in four events.

"I don't think there's anything like track in the whole world," he says. "It keeps me young and happy. And I think my wife is happy because I'm not sitting in a chair watching TV all day."

A few years back, McManus set an American record in his age group as his family looked on. "That was the thrill of a lifetime," he says.

Now he's especially looking forward to the outdoor championships in Eugene, Ore., in August: He will have turned 80 by then - just in time to compete in a new age category (80 to 84) where he can try to set new personal, or perhaps even national, records.

According to the 2000 census, Americans over 65 are an active bunch. Nearly half of them, some 15.8 million, walk for exercise, while 3.8 million swim, 3.8 million more use exercise equipment, and 3.1 million play golf.

But at the tip of the javelin of senior athletics is a group of dedicated track and field participants, numbering in the thousands. Three-quarters of them are men, most often former high school or college athletes.

All find pleasure in pushing the boundaries of their physical abilities, attaining personal bests, and finding an outlet for their competitive drives while also enjoying the kind of special camaraderie that develops among athletes.

"One of the joys is that you're still competing with your college class in a lot of ways," says senior athlete George Mathews, with a chuckle. Mr. Mathews serves as chairman of the masters committee of USATF, the governing body for track and field in the United States. "Still being known as an athlete at an older age is fantastic, because most people give that up."

The competitive flames continue to burn bright in older athletes, he says. He's always amazed at how interested they are in how they rank within their local association, their region, and nationally. "They want to know where they stand," he says. Some develop friendly rivalries with others in their age bracket across the country.

And these older athletes are also just as proud of their accomplishments as their younger brethren. Their performances are precisely timed, measured, and recorded at meets. First, second, and third-place winners win medals at 57 local, seven regional, and two national meets.

"Our medals are important," Mathews says. Members proudly take them home to show their families what they achieved.

USATF masters can also qualify as "all-Americans" by reaching certain goals for their event and age. (Masters events are held in five-year age groups, beginning with those who are 40 to 44 years old. Events include the pentathlon, race walking, hurdles, high jump, shot put, weight throw, triple jump, long jump, and races between 60 and 3,000 meters in length.)

McManus had run track and cross-country in high school 60 years ago, but then forgot about it. About 20 years ago his son, a New York City policeman who had taken up running, "gave me a pair of shoes and shorts, and off I went at age 58."

Now they run in road races together in Central Park. He belongs to a track club and trains four or five times per week, putting in about 40 to 50 miles of roadwork. He runs uphill to build leg strength and does short sprints, called "interval training," to improve speed. "You have to do your 'homework,' " he says of his regimen.

Sitting near McManus at the Boston meet, Marie-Louise Michelsohn of Stony Brook, N.Y., had a somewhat different story to tell. Ms. Michelsohn, who broke a world record for women 60 to 64 in the mile at the meet (6:02.49), didn't take up running until about seven years ago.

Her daughter was recovering from a serious illness, and Michelsohn found caring for her stressful. "I was really very tense and on the edge," she says. Her husband was a runner, so one day she gave it a try.

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