Archive for February, 2008

M100 record holder ‘Flying’ Phil Rabinowitz dies at 104

South Africa’s great centenarian sprinter Phil Rabinowitz died Thursday at age 104, local media report. Ironically, what led me to this discovery was a Track & Field News message board posting. It made me chuckle when someone linked to “news” of a new M100 world record over 100 meters. The Daily Times of Pakistan reported: […]

February 29, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Fresh links to results, photos, cross-dressers from UK

Allan Williams of Blackheath and Bromley AC is an outstanding M50 pole vaulter. His teammate Tom Phillips says Allan recently returned from knee surgery and is jumping well. But when I spotted his picture in Tom’s latest masters shots of UK indoor nationals, I was curious about his USATF top. (That’s our cross-dresser du jour.)

February 29, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Allen Johnson hopes to avoid boredom at IAAF worlds

Allen Johnson turns 37 Saturday, and admits he’s not going to win the 60-meter hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain. But he’s shooting for sub-7.50, an amazing time for a masters athlete. Gene Cherry of Reuters wrote a nice story about AJ’s quest. A bittersweet ending: “He said the most difficult […]

February 28, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

M55 multi-eventer Carter Holmes is happy to be alive

Carter Holmes, 58, dearly wanted to compete in the pentathlon at the WMA world indoor championships in France. But life happened, and he probably won’t go. He’s just content to speak French, which he studied in advance of the planned trip. Carter has come out of a four-day coma following a heart attack. And Jim […]

February 28, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Alisa Harvey on Boston 800: ‘Just gave it all I had’

After Sunday’s 800 final at the AT&T USA Indoor Championships, third-placer Morgan Uceny, 22, approached the woman she had beaten by less than 2 seconds. Morgan asked Alisa Harvey: “Excuse me, I don’t want to be rude — but how old are you?” Alisa says she just laughed and told her, “42.” (Twenty years older!) […]

February 28, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Charmaine Roberts: ‘Ran the race the way I planned’

Charmaine Roberts drew Lane 6 for the masters women’s 400 exhibition at the Boston open nationals last Sunday. Lane 5 was empty. That’s understandable, since Alisa Harvey had scratched to focus on the open 800 finals. Charmaine made the most of it, however, winning the race in just over a minute. Charmaine turns 41 in […]

February 27, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Maria Mutola ‘adamant’ she’s retiring at end of season

Olympic champ Maria Mutola is still near the top of her game, the 800, but she told the IAAF she’s bound and determined to hang up her spikes, even though she’s only 35. So be it. But it’s cool that the M-word is popping up with regularity. The IAAF reports: “On a statistical note, Mutola […]

February 27, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

British masters mourn passing of sprinter Fran Scott

Britain’s Fran Scott, a 49-year-old sprinter, was fighting liver cancer when I noted his struggle last September. Last Sunday, he died, according to an email message sent by UK Masters Team Manager Maurice Doogan. “I cannot say more, than to pass on the words and sentiments of Kermitt Bentham and Steve Peters, which I outline […]

February 27, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Europeans also setting records in run-up to worlds

My masters moles remind me that it’s not the America Wide Web. Records are falling across The Pond as well. Word arrived yesterday of a wonderful W50 world indoor record for 3,000 meters. Spanish masters champion Aurora Perez ran the nearly 2-mile distance in 10:06.36 Saturday in her country’s open nationals in Valencia. Aurora took […]

February 26, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Kamloops to host first non-European indoor worlds

Congrats to Kamloops! Canadian and WMA brass have confirmed what we telegraphed earlier: Kamloops, British Columbia, will host the 4th World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships. The dates are March 1-6, 2010, according to Brian Keaveney, head of the Canadian Masters Athletics Association and president of the North, Central America and Caribbean WMA region. Meanwhile, another […]

February 25, 2008   Posted in: Uncategorized  18 Comments