Three days a week, Nester Kramer climbs onto a stationary bike at Maximus Health and Fitness in Riverhead and pedals.
At 84, the Riverhead veteran is taking on a 250-mile America 250 cardio challenge to raise money for American Legion Post 273. But for Kramer, the ride is about more than fitness and fundraising. It is also about service, friendship and making the most of the time he still has. “I can do it now,” Kramer said Wednesday morning. “Next year, I may not be able to do it.”
That outlook - practical, unsentimental and quietly determined - is what drives him.
Kramer has lived in Riverhead since 1960, when the Air Force sent him to Westhampton Beach, where he refueled jets. He served four years, 1960-1964, and has been a member of Post 273 for about five years. When he learned about the USA 250 Challenge, tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary, he saw it as a chance to do something meaningful for fellow veterans. "I needed to do something to give back to the veterans,” he said.
As of Wednesday morning, Kramer had logged about 190 miles and expected to complete the challenge in early May, well ahead of the July 4 deadline. He rides 5 miles each session, three days a week. So far, he said, the fundraiser has brought in about $180. Kramer said he plans to add $100 of his own when he completes the challenge. He is putting in the miles at Maximus Fitness with steady support from Jude Petroski, 66, a close friend and neighbor who has been working out with him for about 10 years. Petroski said it took him about a year to persuade Kramer to come to the gym. At the time, he noticed Kramer was having trouble lifting his arm to reach into his mailbox. Regular exercise helped improve that, Petroski said, and the two men have been showing up together ever since. “This is my neighbor, my best friend, and he drags me,” Kramer said with a laugh. “Keeps me young.” The two men live a few houses apart, help each other with errands and repairs, and often go out for breakfast or lunch together. Petroski, who is not a veteran but belongs to the American Legion Sons as the son of one, said he now rides alongside Kramer on the bike a couple of days each week in support of the challenge. Kramer said he had never used the stationary bike before deciding to take on the 250-mile effort. He started cautiously, unsure how his knees would respond. He has arthritis in both shoulders and knees, and had a hip replaced about 12 years ago.