“I really have no natural ability [in swimming]. It’s all physical endurance. That’s why it’s so important at my age, and anyone’s age, to just exercise. I’m going on 64 this month and I feel as good now as I did when I was 30.”

Rusty Winget

TORRINGTON  – Rusty Winget’s personal record in the 1500-freestyle swim stands at right around 25 minutes. 

To put that into perspective, Winget is able to complete 60 lengths in the pool, or 30 laps, in 25 minutes. Winget clocks each lap in at around 50 seconds, repeating the 50-second split over and over again 30 times.

For those of us able to even finish swimming 60 lengths in a pool in one go, a time of 25 minutes is pretty exceptional at any age.

Winget is modest about his accomplishment, though.

“I’m not too bad” at swimming, he said. “But I’m not great at it, either. There’s some really good competition out there.”

On Sunday before Winget’s interview, he watched the 1500-meter freestyle finals at the Olympic Games in Paris. America’s Bobby Finke reached the finish line in 14 minutes, 30.67 seconds, breaking a 12-year-old record in the event.

“That puts it in perspective,” Winget said.

Finke is a 24-year-old, two-time Olympian whose parents and siblings are competitive swimmers. Winget began his competitive swimming career at the age of 55 – his only previous experience involved “splashing around” as a kid. 

Finke practices with a staff of full-time coaches and athletic trainers. Winget relies on Erin Jespersen, a local swimmer and full-time music educator at Lingle-Fort Laramie, for tips on techniques. Plus advice from his wife.

In a May 22 interview with Men’s Health, Finke stated his regimen begins at 5 a.m. for two hours in the pool, followed by several hours of “dry land” gym training, a brief break in the afternoon and two more hours in the pool.

Winget works part-time at the barbershop he owns in Torrington, Rusty’s All Star Barbershop, and devotes time to family and five grandchildren. 

Yet Wingate is also up early in the morning, diving into his daily workout at the Dale Jones Municipal Pool in Torrington during the summer.

“In the morning, I’m there at quarter after five and usually waiting for [the lifeguards] to unlock the door,” Wingate said.

Winget is back in the pool each afternoon for a full 1500-meter swim plus sprint workouts. By the time the Wyoming Senior Summer Olympics began on July 31, Winget had logged 40 miles in the pool since June 1 – roughly 2,550 laps.

“I’m into swimming,” he said.

The dedication paid off this summer when Winget snagged gold medals in the 1500- and 500-freestyles at the Wyoming Senior Olympics in Cheyenne, along with silver in three sprinting events – the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyles.

Winget also punched his ticket to compete at the National Senior Games in Des Moines, Iowa, in summer 2025.

“It feels good,” Winget said of his accomplishments. “[Competing at Nationals] was my goal when we started training.”

While Winget’s swimming career began later in life than that of Olympic swimmers like Finke, he enjoys the sport and appreciates the benefits of swimming.

“I really have no natural ability [in swimming],” Winget said. “It’s all physical endurance. That’s why it’s so important at my age, and anyone’s age, to just exercise. I’m going on 64 this month and I feel as good now as I did when I was 30.”

Finding inspiration

Winget ran competitively as a youngster, but swimming never crossed his mind as a sport to pursue in either high school or college. 

Fast forward a few decades later to when Winget worked as a barber. A client named Toby Lewis participated in Senior Olympic events across the region and encouraged Winget to try out for a sport.

“My goal is to be like Toby,” Winget said. “He was my inspiration back then, almost 10 years ago. He told me about this Senior Olympic stuff and I thought, ‘I could do that.’ So I just started swimming and here I am.”

Swimming was a good fit for Winget – unlike running, the sport does not cause shin splints.

“I just enjoy the heck out of swimming,” Winget said. “It is so good for you – it’s low impact You can do it every day.”

Preparing for the summer Senior Olympics in swimming is a challenge in Torrington since the community lacks an indoor facility and the outdoor pool is only open in summer.

During the winter, Winget focuses on non-swimming cardio workouts, including weightlifting sessions. Winget relies on video workouts like ‘P90X’ and ‘Beach Body Beast’ to stay focused and motivated. He also heads to the track to run twice a week when the weather cooperates.

This past winter, Winget was able to swim at the YMCA in Scottsbluff several times a week.

“That really helped, because when June 1 came, I was already in pool shape,” Winget said. “You could do all the arm workouts – curling and weightlifting – but there’s something about swimming that’s just completely different. When I first started, I would get in the pool and I would feel like spaghetti for the first couple of weeks.”

An intense race

The long-distance 1500-meter freestyle is Winget’s favorite event. The race involves considerable mental strength and is all about pacing. A swimmer must strategize about each lap, beginning with the first lengths.

“It takes me about six lengths of the pool to get into my groove,” Winget said. “I’ve always been a fast starter and the first three [laps] are pretty easy for me. But that fourth lap – I don’t care how good of shape you are in – you’re going to start getting winded and you need to regulate that.”

Winget described the 1500-freestyle as “a grind.”

“With some of the competition out there, I wouldn’t say it’s an all-out sprint, but you’re at 75 percent the whole way,” he added.

Winget sets a different goal for each lap to maintain his pace throughout the race.

“I reach that lap and I think, ‘Okay. I feel good here. I know what to feel and know what to expect in the next 10 laps.’ I have different numbers, all the way to 60 [lengths] that I look forward to hitting each time.”

In a race spanning 60 lengths in the pool, battling persistent negative thoughts becomes a challenge.

“Sometimes you start to think, ‘Oh man. I’m not even a sixth of the way done with this,’” Winget said. “You try to get that out of your mind pretty quick, because that will depress you.”

Winget’s competitors in the 1500-freestyle provided plenty of motivation, especially when it comes time to dig deep for that final kick.

“I had two people on either side of me [during the race],” Winget said. “We played together for 20 minutes. I was always ahead, but I could tell when they were inching up. When I felt they were coming, I didn’t care if it was lap 49 or 39, I would get some kick. You can always find some reserve.”

In addition to swimming, Winget enjoys traveling with family and spending time with his grandchildren. Winget expressed gratitude to the staff at the Dale Jones Memorial Pool, especially the lifeguards working the 5 a.m. shift. Winget thanked Toby Lewis for the inspiration and gave a shoutout to the executive director of the Wyoming Senior Olympics, De Shann Schinkel – “she’s doing a great job.”

Winget saved his biggest thanks for his wife:

“She knows swimming is a passion of mine and she’ll do anything to help me succeed.”