- April 18, 2024
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Remember Buzz Porter Sr., the 80-year-old track wonder who has won over 1,000 medals? Well, he continued his successful ways in recent competition, at the USA Masters Track Meet in Greensboro, North Carolina, and at the National Decathlon Championship in Shoreline, Washington.
In the Masters, he won the pentathlon, high jump, triple jump, steeplechase, 80- and 200-meter hurdles and the pole vault. Porter attained All-American honors in every event except the 1500-meters in the pentathlon and the pole vault, and he finished with better times and distances than some of the men in younger age groups.
In Washington for the decathlon championships, Porter placed second overall in his age group. A total of 40 men ranging from 30 to 91 years old competed, and he scored more points than 16 of them.
If there was ever an elderly athlete to look up to, Porter would definitely be the one. Though he does a ton of winning for himself, Porter has also paid it forward by assisting other athletes to reach their goals.
One in particular is James Armor, a former Spruce Creek track runner. Armor had no college scholarship offers, until Buzz brought him to his headquarters, Bicentennial Park.
“Buzz dropped my 5K personal best by almost a minute and lowered my 800-meter PR some seconds in less than a few months,” Armor said. “All this was done by running around a local baseball field park with his stopwatch.”
After months of waking up at 6 a.m. to train with Porter, Armor competed in a college-level race and did so well, Embry-Riddle offered him a scholarship.
“All I did was listen to Buzz,” Armor added. “He’s the one who manifested that scholarship. He sacrificed so much time for another’s dream. Buzz never complained and never once even let me speak of any form of payments.”
In 2014, Armor chose to leave college and return home to help his ill sister who eventually died that summer. He still trains and has aspirations of returning to the course to pay back the one who sacrificed for him.
“I hope I can add to his achievements,” Armor said, “because any of my running achievements are his as well.”
