Duane Moen holds up his latest wins, two gold medals from the North Dakota Senior Games in Fargo, ND. With qualifying times he’s on a pathway to the next National Olympic Senior Games to be held in Tulsa, OK, in 2027.
Local resident Duane Moen recently competed in the North Dakota Senior Games in Fargo, ND. In the track and field events Moen took home two gold medals; one in the fifty meter and the other in the hundred meter. He had also planned to compete in the 200 meter and the 400 meter, however, he said he was so eager to compete that he didn’t stretch out or warm up well enough and hurt his leg enough that he knew two gold would be all he’d get this time around as runner number 292.
His times in both races, however, qualified him to a place in the next National Olympic Senior Games scheduled in Tulsa, OK in 2027.
Not bad for an 82 year old!
Duane Thomas Moen, lifelong resident of rural Devils Lake, was one of the few participating in the Senior Games that wasn’t in a wheel chair or using a walker, he pointed out.
It wasn’t the first time he’d done well in running, in the past he participated in the Prairie Rose Games where he took home silver and earlier in his life he did well in track and field throughout high school at Devils Lake Central High. Moen graduated in 1961 from DLHS and obtained a Bachelor of Science from Moorhead State. His field of study included Park and Recreation Administration and Health Science Admin.
He used his education and talents working for a number of federal agencies through the years including The Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife and the US Forest Service. He said he started working for the late Ernie Hagen and later the State of North Dakota for over 25 years. He went part time for the last couple of years retiring 18 years ago.
He stays fit by walking, keeping busy, helping his neighbors, doing yard work, puttering on the farm, “There’s always something that needs fixing or trimming or painting when you live on a farm,” Moen stated.
He’s an active member of St. Olaf Lutheran Church and has served on the church’s Retreat Center Board and Men’s Club helping with all their activities and events.
Just because someone is older doesn’t mean he, or she, can’t compete in things like track and field events. He told the Journal that he was inspired 10 years ago by a 105-year old man who ran 100 meters in 14.6.
Moen said that Dr. Rich Johnson once told him, “Be glad you can do what you can do.” He liked that.
Moen’s secret to his long and healthy life? He said “You’ve got to love life, love to work and, yes, love God.”
When asked why he never married, Moen, with a twinkle in his eye, replied, “No one ever asked me.”
This reporter found that hard to believe.
