HILLSDALE—Local endurance athlete Jim Clark, 75, has once again proven that age is no barrier to excellence.
On July 13, Clark claimed first place in his age group at the USA Triathlon Off-Road (Cross) Triathlon National Championship at Hagg Lake in Oregon. It marks his third national title, all earned since turning 65.
The grueling event—part of a discipline known internationally as Cross Triathlon—ordinarily features a 1,500-meter open-water swim, a 30-kilometer mountain bike course, and a 10-kilometer trail run. Due to course logistics, this year’s championship featured slightly shorter distances, but certainly no less intensity.
Clark’s performance in Oregon adds to a remarkable résumé: the 83rd triathlon of his career, the 42nd off-road event, and a dramatic narrow victory over a persistent challenger.
“Tom Rhodes [an endurance sports machine in his own right] came up behind me on a paved section of the run, and I thought I was in trouble,” Clark told
Pascack Press last week. “But I’m a pretty good trail runner, and when we got back to the dirt and rocks, I was able to run away from him. I really didn’t want to travel over 2,000 miles and not come away a champion.”
He edged out Rhodes by just 60 seconds in a race that lasted over two hours.
A late start and a fast ascent
Clark began racing triathlons in 2005, at age 56. He took a special interest in the off-road variation—less predictable, more rugged terrain—around 2012, when he was 61.
The format, known as Cross Triathlon, distinguishes itself from the more familiar road triathlon by emphasizing trail running and mountain biking.
Races are staged in natural environments, often on hilly, rocky, or wooded terrain, and participants must navigate not only their endurance limits but also the technical challenges of off-road cycling and uneven trails.
Clark won his first national title in 2019, competing in the 65–69 age group at the championships in Waco, Texas. He followed it up with a second win in 2021 (70–74), and now adds a third in the 75–79 bracket, making him a multi-decade champion in the sport.
When he’s not on the racecourse, Clark is still going the extra mile—this time in service to others.
For the past three years, he’s been a volunteer EMT with the Hillsdale Volunteer Ambulance Service, putting in an average of 120 hours per month on call. He also serves the agency as secretary, helping keep operations running smoothly while responding to medical emergencies across the community.
Clark, a lawyer most of his working life, is backed by Nancy, his wife of 42 years.
“These days, outside of EMT and training for triathlon, life is focused on visiting and frequently caring for three of my four grandchildren: Everett, 7, Elara, 4, and Serena, 2, who live in River Vale. Their mom is my daughter, Katie, a pediatric neuro-oncologist. My other daughter, Christina, a social worker, lives in Maine with her wife and daughter, Vivien, 4,” he tells us.
Between college and law school he was a partner in a restoration bookbinding studio, The Bindery, in New Haven, Conn.