(Photos courtesy of Dana Burnett)

Senior Triathlete Lew Hollander of Terrebonne turned 91 in June, and celebrated it by completing a sprint triathlon in Vancouver. Since then he has completed another sprint triathlon in July and has his sights set on a competition at Columbia River in August.

Hollander is a Senior Ironman known around the world for his achievements. There is perhaps no single human event that teaches us so much about being in our bodies, being at our best, knowing what it really means to be human, than sports.

Hollander can accurately be described as an intellectual. But he freely admits that one of his favorite events of all time is the Ride and Tie where you’re down in the “blood and the guts and the mud,” and there’s a great bond between your horse and your partner. You may be sprinting long distances over tough terrain if you’re one of the great ones, and the record books vouch that he is.

Hollander is also in the American Endurance Riding Hall of Fame. He is a physicist, writer and family man with multiple patents and inventions to his credit. When he was 54, Hollander entered and completed the Western States One Hundred Mile Foot Race in the High Sierras. This experience signified a re-birth for him in his approach to life, ultimately launching him into Triathlon competition at the highest levels.

He would go on for over two decades to set records in senior Triathlon competitions, specifically at the acclaimed Hawaii Ironman at Kona. Hollander has become known as a unique goodwill ambassador for senior athletics. He is known throughout the world as an athlete who will make the best out of any race, regardless of the circumstances he has to deal with.

Use It Or Lose It: Pathways to Healthy Living, evolved over a series of years because Hollander wanted a different kind of a book about aging. Many of his adventures, achievements and philosophies are recorded in the book, written by Redmond author and journalist Dana Burnett.

Use It Or Lose It is available on Amazon or through Dana at dana2@bendbroadband.com. It retails for $19.95 — discounts can be given for bulk orders. It’s also available as an e-book through Amazon on Kindle.