Ritte all about movement, on and off the track

Put the politics and controversy aside and maybe there is something we can all agree on with Walter Ritte: Getting out and moving around is a good thing, regardless of age.

For this 68-year-old activist, activity is important.

"It’s critical. Today I release lots of pressure — it builds up," he said. "This releases pent-up frustration. The stuff we do is 90 percent frustration. So this kind of keeps me sane."

Ritte spoke between sprints at the Aloha State Games track and field meet Saturday at the University of Hawaii. Before he was known for issues like saving Kahoolawe, Hawaiian sovereignty and most recently GMO foods, the Molokai native was a three-sport standout at Kamehameha and went on to play basketball and volleyball and run track at UH.

"I’m trying to get my classmates to come out," said Ritte, who was one of the leaders of a star-studded edition of Warriors athletes, the class of 1963.

His 1 minute, 14 seconds in the 400 meters wasn’t anything close to the 50-second quarter-mile he ran as a senior, but he said speed isn’t a priority anymore.

"My goal is just get a good workout," said Ritte, who made it to the national finals in the 400 in his age group in 2000. "I train just a little bit so I don’t bust up all my joints."

RITTE ISN’T the eldest of the 285 competitors at this meet; that would be Stanford Kuroda, 75, a stalwart with the Hawaii Masters Track Club the past 30 years. HMTC veteran throwers Jack Karbens and Joan Davis are regulars, too.

"I used to golf, but this keeps me in shape, gives me incentive," said Kuroda, a retired city and county employee from Kaneohe. "We used to have some guys even older, but they haven’t been coming lately."

He hopes to get his 5-year-old grandson out to next year’s meet. Chances are Noah won’t be the youngest participant, though. The Aloha State Games track meet attracts lots of very youthful entries from summer track clubs.

"The little 4-year-olds are scared of the gunshot (to start races), so we use a whistle," said meet director Mark Zeug.

Some of the events — especially those featuring up-and-coming local high school stars — are competitive. But this is also the kind of casual meet where Zeug tries to hook up an unattached runner looking for a relay team in need of a fourth over his microphone.

EXERCISE TIES in with Ritte’s latest activism campaign, fighting genetic modified organism foods. It’s helped put nutrition at the forefront for him.

"We grew up without any knowledge of how food really affects our health," he said. "I never paid attention to cholesterol or sodium. Then my wife got me to read labels. You find out the profit motive is more important to (corporations) than your health."

Ritte still plays open-gym basketball with the young guys at home on Molokai. He said competing at a track meet with such a wide range of ages is invigorating.

"This is so important. Life starts at 50, gets better at 60 and I can’t wait until 70," he said. "I hope to encourage the ‘kupuna’ generation to keep healthy and fit by exercise and eating healthy foods and maybe influence the younger generation to do the same."

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.