Dara Torres became a faster, stronger, smarter athlete after she turned 40. Here, she dishes the secrets of speed and fitness that allow her to spank competitors half her age.
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On land, Dara Torres looks stunning. Underwater, she looks even better. When I learned I was being dispatched on my dream assignment—to train with Torres in Coral Springs, Florida—performance anxiety flooded my mind. I've competed in masters races since 1984, but I feared I wouldn't be able to keep up with swimming's wonder woman long enough to actually appreciate her stroke. Five days prior to our pool date, Torres had surgery on her left knee, so she wouldn't be going full throttle. Still, as one of my teammates joked, "If you can't hold her pace, at least the forward view will be great."
Even if you're a nonswimmer, you probably recognize Dara Torres. Forget the fact that she has competed in four Olympic games, winning nine Olympic medals (including four gold). Or that she was the first athlete to appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Torres's latest triumph has come on the cusp of middle age and her seeming discovery of the fountain of youth in pool water. Last August, at age 40, just more than a year after giving birth to her first child, Torres stunned the world at the U.S. Nationals by winning both the 100- and 50-meter freestyle races. In the latter, she vanquished a gaggle of twentysomething hard-bodies and set a new American record. She's in pole position to earn a spot on the team for Beijing.
After an 800-meter warm-up, Torres's coach, Michael Lohberg, suggests we do a set of 12x100s on an interval of 1:45. But Torres thinks this will give us too much rest.
"Is 1:35 okay with you?" she asks in a voice reminiscent of Mariska Hargitay's.
