Track couple preparing for Rocky Mountain State Games

When Jack and Doris Donley bought their home from Jack’s father, Jerry, in 2002, there was an unusual stipulation.

The contract said Jack had to maintain the pole vault pit in the backyard and allow Jerry access for as long as he wanted or as long as Jack owned the house.

“That’s what you get when you have two lawyers working on the agreement,” Jack said.

Today, Jerry, 80, continues to utilize the pit for practice as he and his wife of eight years, Christel, 75, prepare for the Rocky Mountain State Games from July 30 to Aug. 1.

But Jerry and Christel, a combined events participant, are no rookies. On the USA Masters Track & Field website, Jerry has registered 52 results since 2006 while Christel has 198. They have competed in Masters for more than three decades, winning medals and setting records. Jerry and Christel are also members of the Colorado Masters Track and Field Club. As their friend, Jim Weed, said, they are “world-class competitors.”

If it weren’t for Jerry’s sons, Chuck and Jack, Jerry might not be a revered pole vaulter or have met Christel.

Nearly 40 years ago, Chuck and a few friends were entering Palmer High School and they wanted to pole vault. Back then, the track and field season was short and few coaches knew the sport, Jerry said. But Jerry knew about pole vaulting because he said he had competed in it through college.

“They kept wandering around and I said, ‘Well, we can put together a little pit and do some practicing,’” Jerry said. “So we got some bedsprings and mattresses and foam rubber and cover up all of that stuff.”

Jerry started competing again in 1974. When the ‘80s rolled around, Jerry was the chairman for USA Masters, which was at the time called The Athletics Congress.

At the time, women began to participate in Masters. Jerry soon realized he needed help because of unfamiliarity with female athletes and problems he had answering their questions.

“I looked around for a person who could do the coordinating and every time I talked to somebody, Christel’s name would call up,” Jerry said.

They met at a convention in San Diego in 1982 and Jerry asked Christel for help. She agreed.

Nearly 20 years later, Jerry’s first wife, Dorothy, died. Jerry said his hardest trip after Dorothy’s death was to Australia for a world track meet. As Jerry hopped on the plane, Christel approached him and told him how sorry she felt for his loss.

“We started talking and then we talked a little more, then we had a date and pretty soon, we were much more serious,” Jerry said.

They wed in 2002 and have gone to most competitions together ever since.

As they got older, injuries have piled up. Jerry has a pacemaker after some heart problems and developed a calcification in his Achilles. Christel had a left shoulder replacement two years ago and has delayed surgery for a torn rotator cuff. The wear-and-tear has friends asking why they won’t quit.

“We hear this all the time: ‘When are you going to stop? When are you going to learn?’ Well, next time maybe,” Christel laughed.

Jack, who holds the Palmer pole vault record set in 1977 at 14 feet, 6 inches, and his family take the opposing view.

“For them to be able to share their absolute passion is such a remarkable gift,” he said. “It’s very inspiring and it’s great for bragging rights. My 15-year-old son and 25-year-old daughter light up when they get to brag about their grandfather and grandmother, and my wife is the first to tell the story.”

Weed, who competed before getting a knee replacement, believes Jerry and Christel won’t quit “as long as they can walk” because it’s hard for competitive juices to return once they stop.

“When your body performs to the level you thought it couldn’t do anymore, it’s a very intoxicating feeling,” Weed said. “That high you get from competing and winning is really addictive.”

But there’s one more reason why Jerry and Christel continue to compete.

“You got to stay in physical condition or you’re going to die. For me, it’s a motivation,” Jerry said. “Doctors kind of roll their eyes a little bit but they say, ‘Go ahead, do it.’”