5 million throws! Roald Bradstock joins ‘Believe It or Not’ ranks

Roald's meme of 5M.

Roald’s meme of 5 mil.

Before he died in 1999, Wilt Chamberlain, the world’s tallest track fan, claimed in his autobiography that he had made whoopee with 20,000 separate women. Statisticians analyzed the figures. Some found it plausible, but Wilt later hinted he’d slept with just 1,000 women. (Still, a huge number.) Now comes my masters javelin friend Roald Bradstock. No scandal, sorry. But he claims in his blog (co-written with wife Clarissa) that he’s made 5 million throws in his life. That’s mainly in practice. He writes: “Fortunately, in addition to my training journals as documentation and some magazine and newspaper articles, I have a lot of former teammates, coaches and friends that have witnessed my ‘excessive’ throwing sessions over the years. And thankfully some of them came to my rescue defending me on Facebook and testified that they had witnessed some of my extreme workouts.”

Clarissa and Roald at Track Town Pizza at 2008 Eugene Olympic Trials.

Also amazing: He says he hasn’t competed in three years. But still throws.

So I asked him via Facebook: So when will U get back in the game — enter a meet?

He replied: “That’s a good question. . . . I guess when I feel I am ready and there is a reason I am motivated and excited by M55 . . . M60? If and when I do throw in a meet again, it will have be to do or try to do something extraordinary.”

Later, he added:

As I told you years ago Ken, I love to throw, whether it’s in competition in not – it’s just a great feeling. I may never compete again in competition and just throw in cow pastures with no one around for miles – just for the pure joy of throwing — but either way I am taking my javelins to the grave with me!

Roald is an artist — the Olympic Picasso as his website says. So I chalk up his never-compete remarks to right-brained considerations. But he’s an amazing guy. (I spent time with him at the 2008 Trials.)

No matter what happens in life, Roald will enjoy it his own way.

I guess that’s a masters motto, isn’t it?

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May 21, 2015

10 Responses

  1. Weia Reinboud - May 21, 2015

    Fact or fantasy? 5 miilion in 40 years makes 342 throws each day, no rest days, no injuries. Sounds a bit exaggerated.

  2. Joseph Burleson - May 21, 2015

    Agree with Weia. And to continue . . . if each of the 342 throws took one minute each (i.e., no time in between to retrieve the implement, simply have 342 individual javelins lined up), that would 5 hours 42 minutes for the 342 throws.
    Roald is a true champion, nonetheless, and a wonderful character, as his picture attests.
    Whatever the number . . . his videos of standing throws are truly incredible, as are his performances, now and ago.

  3. Roald - May 21, 2015

    So weia, just curious, what number would be more acceptable- is less exaggerated? 341?
    🙂

  4. Weia Reinboud - May 21, 2015

    Hi Roald, I know you do immense series of all kinds of throws, but do you do it every day? And how much in one training session and how many throwing sessions a week?
    I in fact hope you would do less million throws and more competitions, you are such a marvelous javelin thrower.

    My number of throws (spears and balls) is about 30000 since I started doing the javelina at age 55.

  5. Jeff Davison - May 21, 2015

    Great picture

  6. Roald - May 22, 2015

    Just to clear the majority of the 5 million throws are done throwing a medicine ball with two hand – probably about 75%.
    The remainder are single hand throws with javelins, golf balls, racket ball and yes a few wet fish, records and mobile phones!
    🙂

  7. Jim Fuqua - May 22, 2015

    I’m a believer. I know how much I throw right now in my sixties and I threw a lot more each decade past. Just yesterday i made over 500 throws with the javelin,golf balls baseball and med balls. I throw every day. I just don’t throw hard every day. Like Roald… i just love throwing. It is very relaxing for me. I may throw nothing but golf balls for a couple of hours at targets all over my yard. I started throwing golfs because of a workout I had with Roald many years ago. I’ve had 10 surgeries on my throwing arm and throwing every day keeps my arm in good shape. Thanks Roald!

  8. who is your daddy ? - May 23, 2015

    Jim……could it be your surgeries have come from overuse……throwing every day ????

  9. Roald Bradstock - May 24, 2015

    cheers jim
    good to hear from you

  10. Jim Fuqua - May 26, 2015

    All my arm surgeries but two came in my baseball days.I played well into my forties. My last two[rotator cuff and a tfc tear in my wrist] were about a year and a half ago. I was running stadiums and had a nasty fall. I drive my wife crazy watching TV. During commercials I bounce a tennis ball off the wall. Just having fun.

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