Archive for February, 2010

Kamloops athletes party open to all (except many 3K runners)

One of the highlights of any world meet is the athletes banquet. Even if the food and entertainment aren’t world-class, the conversation and camaraderie are. So it was a shock to learn that the “Polar Storm Party” at Kamloops worlds is scheduled smack in the middle of many 3,000-meter races. The current “revised schedule” posted [...]

February 23, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  18 Comments

Irie Hill’s stock rises: she adds W40 world indoor record in pole vault

The listed world indoor record for the W40 vault is 3.60 (11-9 3/4) shared by Italy’s Carla Forcinelli and Holland’s Larissa Lowe. But the British masters site has posted this tie-breaking news: “Irie Hill has broken the W40 pole vault record, clearing 3.65m indoors in Sindelfingen on 29 January, the same venue where Carla Forcellini [...]

February 22, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Willie Banks warms up for Boston nationals with 5-11 at age 53

He jokes about being overweight. His busy life includes consulting, representing Fieldturf in Japan and sitting on two major boards (USATF and the USATF Foundation). But when Olympian Willie Banks wants to bring it, the old legs can still deliver. Yesterday at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, the former world record holder [...]

February 22, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Italy’s Ugo Sansonetti claims M90 world indoor record for 60 meters

Ugo Sansonetti, the Lahti sprint champ and Coca-Cola pitchman,  ran the 60 in 11.38 seconds over the weekend at Italian masters nationals in Ancona. Not impressive? Try keeping up with that when you’re 91!  Ugo beat the listed indoor WR of 11.47 by Sweden’s  Herbert Liedtke in 2007. (Ugo also beat Herbert at Lahti; see [...]

February 22, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Pete Magill buries old slur about masters athletes once and for all

Dang if Pete Magill isn’t the most thoughtful writer on masters running (while at the same time being a superstar in his age group). His latest contribution to the genre: a defense of masters running against those who insist that geezers should hang up their spikes and help nurse the next generation of athletes. This [...]

February 21, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  27 Comments

Masters 100m exhibitions at U.S. open nationals: SOSDD

Google that acronym. That’s what the 100-meter men’s and women’s masters exhibitions at Des Moines nationals amount to. Details of these races, just announced, are now posted here. Men have to be under 11.4 and women under 13.6. But why always the younger age groups (M40, W40, etc.)? We’re seeing the same sprinters every other [...]

February 20, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Top-notch chiropractor offers massage to U.S. team at Kamloops

Dr. Greg Summers, a chiropractor in Washington State with a solid background in sports massage, will travel to Kamloops, British Columbia, in March to help his client Michael Waller, the world-class M50 sprinter. But he’ll knead you, too. This week, he offered his help (basically for free) to Team USA. Today came the reply: “The [...]

February 19, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  8 Comments

Masters sprinters are serious focus of Finnish dissertation

In our never-ending quest for only the most current, timely and up-to-date masters track research, here’s a study that, um, came out eight months ago.  No matter. It’s news to me. It’s an “academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä, in the [...]

February 19, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

Only 3 men entered in 1K exhibition at Albuquerque open nationals

Is it the 5,300-foot elevation?  Too many big meets going on (Kamloops, Boston)? Too stiff a qualifying standard? For whatever reason, only three men are signed up for the 1,000-meter masters exhibition race at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the end of this month in Albuquerque. Fortunately, eight women are entered in [...]

February 18, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Darren Scott tells goals: break records, become a legend

Darren Scott isn’t being arrogant. Just a little impish — and wickedly fast. After lowering the M40 indoor world record for 200 twice this season, the Scottish phenom returned to mere-mortal status last weekend at the British trials for the IAAF World Indoor Championships. He ran a 22.12. “Got lane 2 in the final, so [...]

February 18, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment