Hermosa Beach resident John Hales is known by many people as the city’s unofficial historian. But Hales has also carved out quite a reputation as a longtime participant in local running events. His continued success well into his ninth decade has been an inspiration to others who might have thought that athletics and aging weren’t compatible.

While training for the upcoming Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair’s 10K run, Hales injured his elbow, prompting him to drop out of this year’s race. The accident was a shame, because this year would have marked the 25th year of his running the race, a perfect record in the 25-year-old event.

All was not lost, however. With the support of 10K organizer Russ Lesser, Hales will now have the chance to participate in the race by riding in a wheelchair as five volunteers push him through the course to the finish line.

“They really went out of their way to keep things going for me,” said Hales. “There are not many races like this one and I’ve ran in races all over Los Angeles County. In my mind, it’s the most organized race in my 35-year career.”

Hales, 85, fractured his right elbow about two weeks ago while walking along Catalina Avenue as he trained for the 10K. Two nights after the accident, Hales’ doctors put several pins in his elbow to realign the bones so that the joint would heal properly. Hales now wears a cast which begins at his hand and ends slightly below his shoulder.

“For the first two weeks, I had my friends help me with things like tying my shoes. It was back to the basics for me,” said Hales. “I was walking along the bike path which has speed bumps. I misjudged one, tripped over it and fell down. A nice couple noticed me on the ground and drove me home. I took a shower and my friend drove me to the hospital.”

In the week following the accident, Hales contacted Lesser and told him he could not compete in the 25th anniversary race. Two days later. Lesser called Hales and told him he had made special accommodations so he could still participate in the event.

“We wanted to find a way for John to compete because he has done this thing every year for the last 24 years,” said Lesser. “I told him we would get him a wheelchair so he could celebrate the quarter-of-a-century mark.”

Hales, who was a member of his track and field teams in both high school and at Los Angeles City College, quit running after he graduated from school and started working full time.

At the age of 48, Hales decided to get involved in running again and trained with a group of men on the UCLA campus.

“I sat around for 25 years and finally responded to an advertisement for a training workout,” recalled Hales. “I saw that some of these guys were younger than the age of 40 and some were in their 50s and 60s. I said to myself that if they can do it then so can I. I then got back into the running world. My first year was agony, but I did shed 25 pounds.”

According to Lesser, Hales will participate in the pre-run scheduled for Sept. 28 where he will be one of 85 athletes who will celebrate their 25 years of participation in the 10K. The race route will be the same route used only once during the first year’s race. The official race is scheduled for Oct. 5 with 4,500 participants entered in the race.

“It’s nice to be able to help a special guy like John,” added Lesser. “We will make sure we have a few volunteers around him so he’s not flying down any hills out of control. We really wanted him to be able to celebrate this special year.”