When 91-year-old retired kidney specialist John Healy first mentioned his renewed passion for running to his cardiologist, the doctor’s initial reaction was a little bit cautious.
“He used to say ‘John, walk don’t run’,” John said. “But after seeing the times I was clocking over the sprint distances he told me to go for it.
“At the same time my GP urged me to enter the Pan Pacific Masters Games,” he said.
John, from Indooroopilly, a fellow who really knows how the human body works, is gearing up for his first-ever Masters Games in November, coming into the event with a remarkable backstory.
He was a graduate of Sydney University’s 1957 Medicine cohort – study which entailed having his nose in the books until 10:00pm most nights before winding down with a three-mile run before bed.
A fully fledged doctor in 1961, he began specialising in kidney treatment, a field in its infancy at the time.
And it wasn’t long before he found himself at the forefront of an Australian medical revolution.
“Back then, our hospital had the only dialysis machine in New South Wales, so they were hectic days.
“I did something like 100 dialyses, so it really was a progressive time for us and our patients,” he said.
In 1963 John’s career took him from Sydney to Washington DC, where he researched at Georgetown University in kidney physiology for nearly three years.
While in his lab in Georgetown in 1965 John was sought out by the Superintendent of the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane to consider setting up a Renal Research lab at the hospital, funded by Lions Clubs Australia.
Georgetown had by then offered him a great position, but John wanted Australia to be where he researched long-term and in 1966, he came to Brisbane.
Today, John trains at Moore Park Oval near his home, a routine he has kept for 34 years.
“I got interested in running sprints about two years ago,” John said.
“One day my wife, Marilyn, timed me with GPS telling me that the 100 yards (94.11m) I thought I was running was actually100 metres.
“Sometimes I did it in 32 seconds, so it seemed OK.
“We investigated it a bit more and found that the average world’s best for my age then was about 35 seconds, so I knew I was getting along alright,” he said.
With that discovery John began training more seriously, with occasional times of 30 seconds.
And as the Games approach, he remains focused on his preparation.
“I’m just trying to keep fit, and fine-tuning things; I really can’t wait for it all to begin,” he said.
The 2024 Athletics – track and field competition will be held at the QSAC State Athletics Facility at Mt Gravatt from Friday 8 – Sunday 10 November.
