CSUN University News Clippings

Photo by Karen Quincy Loberg

Phillip Billings, who took up running again a year and a half ago, trains at the Westlake High School track.

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For Phillip Billings, 77, of Thousand Oaks, running isn’t just a hobby or way to stay in shape. It’s a chance to challenge himself every day to be the best he can be.

Yet even with a Masters Track Association national ranking of 17th in the 75-79 age group for the 200-meter run and 24th for the 100-meter run, Billings thinks he has room for improvement.

In the Senior Olympics on Sept. 12 in San Diego, he placed second in the 100 meters and third in the 200 meters.

“I think I can do better than that,” Billings said. “At some meets I’ve done, I hear people tell me that just being out here is all that counts. But it’s not for me. I want to do my best.”

Last year, he ran in the Senior Olympics in San Diego and came in first. “I think it gave me a false sense of security,” he said with a laugh.

Billings, a criminal defense attorney for more than 20 years in Johnson City, N.Y., began running as a young man as a way to stay in shape. A year-and-a-half ago, he decided to start training again for competition.

“I started so late that I’m still on the upward curve. My times are improving, not getting slower,” he said. “Other guys have been doing it so long, they’re on the downward curve. I don’t think I’m as good as it gets just yet.”

“I’m most impressed by his drive to live,” said Luke Billings, 38, of Ventura, the youngest of Billings’ five children.

Luke said his father has taught him a great deal, but he especially remembers a phone call he got several years ago from him after a close friend committed suicide.

“He said to me, ‘You know what the secret to life is? It’s living. It’s waking up every morning and putting one foot in front of the other.’ I’ll never forget that. My dad is my hero,” he said.

“He’s my Renaissance man,” said his wife of 51 years, Margaret, 71. “He’s just done so many things and has so many interests.”

The two met in Santa Monica and after they married they moved to New York to support Billings’ mother, but they vowed to come back to California as soon as they could. In 1982, Billings left his law practice and the family moved back, opening an antique store in the San Fernando Valley. The store, Town and Country, is no longer there.

“He just never stops,” Luke said. “He took classes at Cal State Northridge in pottery and photography and he’s good at both of those. He always wants to better himself.”

Luke remembers when his mother wanted a large, four-poster bed. His father bought a book, studied it and built a cherry wood, 7-foot bed the couple still use.

“He’s a delightful man with a dry sense of humor,” said Amanda Dunn of Valencia, a longtime friend of the family. “He’s so knowledgeable in a lot of subjects. He brings a lot of good conversation to any meeting.”

For Billings, it’s all about forward motion.

“At this age, a lot of us who run say it’s all about pain management. That’s true in some ways, but I’ve never felt better. I’m trying hard just to improve.”