Archive for January, 2003

Secret to AURA success: Viagra?

For the past few months, the Web address for the AURA track club — the (Howard) Adams Unified Racing Association — has led to a Viagra advertisement. See: www.auratrack.com/ Since this New York City-based club still has athletes competing (and well), I doubt the club has dissolved. But the Viagra ad is plum mystifying. Here’s […]

January 25, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Records soar and fall haphazardly

Masters records continue to flow fast and furious — and all fouled up. Beside’s Tony Young’s brilliant 4:08.60 at age 40 on Jan. 18, we’ve also learned about M55 Harry Nolan of Shore AC running a 4:50.8 mile a few days earlier in New York. But you can’t trust everything you read. Here’s how Runner’s […]

January 24, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

The masters mile record that never was

On March 3, 1938, Glenn Cunningham of Kansas ran a mile indoors at Dartmouth. His time of 4:04.4 would have lowered the day’s outdoor world record by two seconds. The 4:04 was an indoor best, of course. But not one for the record books. It came on a dreaded “oversized track” – illegal for record […]

January 23, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Masters heroes in the hinterlands

A couple years back, masters in Britain were outraged by the published comments of Malcolm Arnold, a famed coach. Arnold told the magazine Athletics Weekly: “I don’t like the idea of coaches of athletes going into veteran athletics. I have a personal hatred of vets athletics. I feel someone of my age should be doing […]

January 18, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

Yo! Meet directors! Lissen up!

Got results? That’s a prime query during and after meets. It’s also the prime consideration of rankers throughout the season. But unless we see a sea change in attitudes and activity, 2003 could be another sad year on this front. A prime example: M60 sprinter Paul Edens ran a scorching legal 12.19 in the 100 […]

January 16, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

A world-class statman steps up to the plate

Sometimes when I rap masters “volunteers” like Ross Dunton and his wretched WMA rankings, someone replies: Well, can YOU do better? Maybe not. But I know someone who can. He’s an M40 runner from North Carolina named Alan Sigmon — who just happens to be one of the most respected track statisticians in the world. […]

January 12, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Anna W — spirit of a true champion

A champion is more than someone with strong lungs and muscles. One must have strong character as well. I’ve just posted a humdinger of an interview with Anna Wlodarczyk, a W50 jumper and hurdler who has overcome the biggest barriers of all — anger and bitterness over being robbed of perhaps two Olympic medals.

January 12, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

Bert Morrow is a masters monster

My idol is Bert Morrow. He’d be yours too, if you knew his story. At age 69, he started hurdling. He’s since competed in 11 world masters championships. At age 89 he was the oldest human hurdler in history. Then a challenger showed up. A Japanese gent, age 90, ran hurdles — taking Bert’s Oldest […]

January 10, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

The poverty of masters track fund-raising

Every few months I read about some fatcat bailing out a sports program on the verge of vanishing. Today’s news brings a report that a group of students, parents and alumni dove in to save Dartmouth College’s swimming and diving teams with $2 million in pledges. John and Becky Moores (owners of the Padres baseball […]

January 10, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

National Senior Olympic shenanigans

Recently I ragged on USATF Masters for choosing Charlotte, North Carolina, to host the 2006 masters outdoor nationals even though bids for that year weren’t supposed to be entertained until December 2003. Other potential bid cities — including Los Angeles, Spokane and Orono, Maine — were effectively aced out of the process. But now I […]

January 7, 2003   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed