If you’re still running competitively at age 88, can you really still call it the 200-meter dash? Clarence Osborn of Lincoln has earned the right to call it whatever he wants.

Osborn, the oldest competitor — by five months — in this year’s Cornhusker State Games, has been running dashes, marathons, road races, ascents — you name it — since he retired from Cushman, Inc., in 1983.

He won Saturday’s State Games 1,500-meter run in the 80-and-over division with a time of 9 minutes, 43.7 seconds, and competed in three other events, including the 200. His time was 1:26.6.

No, not exactly dash-like. But Osborn is 88, running on two replaced knees and focused more on longer events, like this weekend’s State Games 10K run.

“Last year, I did it in 53 minutes and some seconds,” Osborn said. “I hope to do it better this year.”

If the Bolder Boulder is any indication, he just might. In May, Osborn ran that 10K race in 1 hour, 33 minutes — about three minutes faster than he did last year.

Osborn’s been a regular in the Lincoln and Omaha marathons, and ran a personal-best 3 hours, 46 minutes, 45 seconds in the 1985 Lincoln Marathon. He’s run competitively across the nation — with a cramped folder of newspaper clippings and photos to prove it — since he turned 65, totaling some 30 marathons.

Perhaps his biggest achievement is completing the Pike’s Peak Ascent and Pike’s Peak Marathon — two separate races held on consecutive days. The first time he competed — in 1989 — he won his age group with a marathon time of 6 hours, 49 minutes, 38 seconds.

Since having both knees replaced in 2003, he’s “cut back” to running only half-marathons. Otherwise, Osborn said he’s remained healthy, feels great and enjoys running.

But why wait until retirement age to begin such endeavors?

Well, it wasn’t like Osborn was out of shape at the time. He’s a World War II veteran who did his share of running and boxing in the Army. He once placed second in the Arizona State Golden Gloves competition.

“I was always pretty good on my feet,” Osborn said. “Several times over in Europe in the war, I had to run for my life. I remember that German tank coming over the hill. … Oh, boy, how we ran.”

Osborn and his wife of 57 years, Betty, began competing together in the Senior Games in Lincoln in 1983. Osborn said he won some gold medals, and remained interested.

Osborn, who runs 20 to 30 miles a week, on top of walking and biking, volunteers at the Lincoln Downtown Senior Center.

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.