Dr. Alan Poisner, a race walker for 40 years, recently won four medals at the biannual National Senior Games.
At the competition, held this year in Des Moines, Iowa, Poisner set records for the 90-to-94 age bracket.
Poisner has now been to 16 of the last 17 biannual National Senior Games. He has won many gold medals and holds records in four different age divisions.
At this year’s games, his first medal was won on July 21 in a 5K road race at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. All participants except Poisner were runners. He racewalked the entire course and placed second with a finishing time of 40:05. He was faster than 25 younger athletes participating in other age brackets.
The following day, Poisner won the gold medal in his age division for the “Mile for the Ages Race” around the Iowa State Capitol. This inaugural event was open to the community, and Poisner came in ahead of 70 people in younger divisions.
The second week of the Games was held in Ames, Iowa. On July 28, Poisner won another gold medal in the 1500-meter race walk at the Iowa State University football stadium. All racewalkers had qualified by winning medals in their home states. Poisner’s time of 11:41 was a new record for his age division and faster than 12 younger men in other divisions.
Poisner won his fourth medal, another gold, in the 5K racewalk around the football stadium on July 29. Having held the record for 85-89 division, he set a new record for his current 90-94 division with a 43:09 time.
In 1989, Poisner co-founded Heartland Racewalkers and continues with the organization to this day. More information about it is available at heartlandracewalkers.com.
Alan Poisner at the 2025 National Senior Games.