This week one of the world's greatest athletes passed away. Phil Rabinowitz (Philip Rabinowitz (runner) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) set the world record in the 100m dash for centenarians in 2004. He ran a faster time the previous week but a time clock malfunction robbed him of the time. So, he returned a week later and knocked more than five seconds off the world record.
Phil lived in Hout Bay, where I live, and I often ran by him over the years as he did his daily walk of 6kms. I came to know Phil a bit when I had the surgery that eventually stopped me from competitive running in my mid-50s. Seeing me walking and immediately realizing what must have happened, he walked with me a bit and tried to tell me that walking could be every bit as much fun as running. A couple of times, he encouraged me to keep going and to trust that my knee would allow me limited work in the future. He was right.
When I first saw Phil training near an informal settlement years ago, I changed my run so that I would pass him a few times and quietly make sure no one hurt him. On my second pass, a local resident of the informal settlement called to me and said, "Are you watching over the old man? We all know Mr Phil. No one would ever hurt Mr Phil."
As I passed him running in subsequent times, I noticed that this small Jewish man, who had left Lithuania in 1925 at the age of 21 and arrived in South Africa just before the Great Depression, often was surrounded by young black people on his walks and that they adored him.
Phil's brothers died in Nazi concentration camps. He lived through the Nazi fervor and anti-semitism that gripped South Africa during the run-up to World War II. South Africa recently had incorporated the former German colony of Southwest Africa (now Namibia) and Boer War sentiment ran high against doing anything with the British, even if South Africa was a British colony. Yet, Phil showed no bitterness and shined with love for humanity.
He was training last week and is pictured in our local newspaper in his NewBalance shoes after a workout. He was employed as a bookeeper and worked every day up until his death.
Shaking Phil's hand, a ritual whenever you passed him as he clasped your hands with both of his, was the closest I ever came to what I felt the first time I shook Mandela's hand. I can't describe what it was, a positivism, a dynamic sense of humanity, I don't know, but he was simply an outstanding athlete that made everyone he met a little better person. As he shook my hand the first time, he reached over and tapped the Buckeye logo on my running shirt in approval.
I am a bit sad today but rather happy for a life well lived. Please join me in celebrating Phil's life and remember him in your prayers.
Here is his obituary:
'Flying Phil' dies at age 104
February 29, 2008, 19:45
Cape Town's famous centenarian Philip Rabinowitz has died at the age of 104. Rabinowitz was known for his feats on the athletics front and held a number of records at the time of his death.
Family, friends and fellow athletes gathered at the Jewish cemetery in Pinelands to pay homage to the man who was also known as Flying Phil. He passed away after suffering a mild stroke on Saturday - only a day after a photo session with the international media at his daughter's factory where he still worked as a bookkeeper.
In 2004, Rabinowitz sprinted into the Guinness Book of World Records, when he broke the 100m record for centenarian sprinting in a time of 30.86 seconds at the Greenpoint stadium, beating the prior world record time of 36.19 seconds.
"He really hit the news when he broke the 100m and 200m, and he loved it. He loved the adoration of everyone," said his daughter Joyce Kruger. She said her father was proud of himself and that they were also proud of him.
Flying Phil also held the 200m world record and was a regular participant in big walks on the Cape Peninsula.
Phil lived in Hout Bay, where I live, and I often ran by him over the years as he did his daily walk of 6kms. I came to know Phil a bit when I had the surgery that eventually stopped me from competitive running in my mid-50s. Seeing me walking and immediately realizing what must have happened, he walked with me a bit and tried to tell me that walking could be every bit as much fun as running. A couple of times, he encouraged me to keep going and to trust that my knee would allow me limited work in the future. He was right.
When I first saw Phil training near an informal settlement years ago, I changed my run so that I would pass him a few times and quietly make sure no one hurt him. On my second pass, a local resident of the informal settlement called to me and said, "Are you watching over the old man? We all know Mr Phil. No one would ever hurt Mr Phil."
As I passed him running in subsequent times, I noticed that this small Jewish man, who had left Lithuania in 1925 at the age of 21 and arrived in South Africa just before the Great Depression, often was surrounded by young black people on his walks and that they adored him.
Phil's brothers died in Nazi concentration camps. He lived through the Nazi fervor and anti-semitism that gripped South Africa during the run-up to World War II. South Africa recently had incorporated the former German colony of Southwest Africa (now Namibia) and Boer War sentiment ran high against doing anything with the British, even if South Africa was a British colony. Yet, Phil showed no bitterness and shined with love for humanity.
He was training last week and is pictured in our local newspaper in his NewBalance shoes after a workout. He was employed as a bookeeper and worked every day up until his death.
Shaking Phil's hand, a ritual whenever you passed him as he clasped your hands with both of his, was the closest I ever came to what I felt the first time I shook Mandela's hand. I can't describe what it was, a positivism, a dynamic sense of humanity, I don't know, but he was simply an outstanding athlete that made everyone he met a little better person. As he shook my hand the first time, he reached over and tapped the Buckeye logo on my running shirt in approval.
I am a bit sad today but rather happy for a life well lived. Please join me in celebrating Phil's life and remember him in your prayers.
Here is his obituary:
'Flying Phil' dies at age 104
February 29, 2008, 19:45
Cape Town's famous centenarian Philip Rabinowitz has died at the age of 104. Rabinowitz was known for his feats on the athletics front and held a number of records at the time of his death.
Family, friends and fellow athletes gathered at the Jewish cemetery in Pinelands to pay homage to the man who was also known as Flying Phil. He passed away after suffering a mild stroke on Saturday - only a day after a photo session with the international media at his daughter's factory where he still worked as a bookkeeper.
In 2004, Rabinowitz sprinted into the Guinness Book of World Records, when he broke the 100m record for centenarian sprinting in a time of 30.86 seconds at the Greenpoint stadium, beating the prior world record time of 36.19 seconds.
"He really hit the news when he broke the 100m and 200m, and he loved it. He loved the adoration of everyone," said his daughter Joyce Kruger. She said her father was proud of himself and that they were also proud of him.
Flying Phil also held the 200m world record and was a regular participant in big walks on the Cape Peninsula.
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At least walking amoungst the clouds will be a little easier on his knees. 