Archive for March, 2010

Bill Murray, Rita Hanscom are USATF Masters T&F Athletes of 2009

Dr. Mary Trotto of Kihei, Hawaii, has run up the Empire State Building, won teaching awards at C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University (where she was an exercise physiologist) and competed in many masters events over the past dozen years. But this winter she tackled the hardest assignment of all. She herded hyperactive […]

March 23, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

Have faith, folks! Track season is right over that next snowdrift!

Jerry Smartt of Warsaw, Missouri — our favorite 1950s world-class distance ace — took the picture below on March 21. Yeah, the first full day of spring. He wrote: “Hey, Ken, no steeple practice for a while.” While I doubt a steeple barrier is depicted, I get the point. But don’t cry for Jerry, Argentina. […]

March 23, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Offer your advice to W55 athlete on hormone replacements

OK, folks. Now comes the hard part in the doping debate. How do you answer the lady who posted a question on the entry telling Gary Snyder’s plans for USATF masters drug-testing at nationals? The anonymous commenter wrote: “I am a w55 competitor who has been on doctor prescribed hormone replacement therapy for over 10 […]

March 21, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  43 Comments

Top USATF official Carroll DeWeese battling prostate cancer

Last year, Carroll DeWeese wore an orange vest in Lahti and a green shirt at nationals. At WMA worlds, he served as a safety judge. At Landover and Oshkosh, he was a member of the oversight Games Committee. And sometimes he sports a dress shirt as USATF Masters T&F Committee treasurer. Amid all these thankless […]

March 21, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  8 Comments

Nolan Shaheed tunes up for Boston with American record 1500

Nolan Shaheed, who snagged USATF Athlete of the Week in January for his M60 mile indoor record, ran one of his first outdoor meets of 2010 last night in Norwalk, California. The result? He ran the 1500 in 4:31.33 at the California Relays at Cerritos College, which beats the listed American record of 4:32.09 by […]

March 20, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Bernie P. gets Carmelized at women-running-together.com

This is one of the best interviews on Carmel Papworth-Barnum’s crackerjack site, women-running-together.com. How can you resist this opening sentence: “Chat to Bernie Portenski and you’ll soon be laughing out loud.” I’m also a fan of Carmel’s ballsy questions, such as: “What’s the aging process been like for you?” — which led to W60 distance […]

March 20, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Ross Dunton fighting Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, lactic acid

In the eastern Tennessee town of Sevierville, gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains, lives an M75 runner and coach named Ross Dunton. I’ve written about his courageous admission of Alzheimer’s — which he noted nearly three years ago in his track newsletter. His moods vary. I’ve come to accept his fiery personality. But when he […]

March 19, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Rita Hanscom salutes family and friends at San Diego awards

Rita Hanscom is used to public speaking — she’s a lawyer, remember — but the crowd that heard her February 22 at the Town & Country Resort Hotel in San Diego was full of superstar luminaries, including Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis, perfect-game pitcher David Wells and Chargers quarterback Phil Rivers. Rita showed no butterflies […]

March 18, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  17 Comments

Gary Snyder outlines steps to drug-testing, payment by surcharge

Gary Snyder has done some due diligence. Now he’s announced how USATF will launch a drug-testing program in American masters track. Besides specifying how to pay for it (by a $5 or $10 surcharge to entries at nationals), he also indicates this is a done deal. Whether on his own authority or by consensus of […]

March 18, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  44 Comments

WMA does a 180: Will seek return of relay medals in Barnwell case

Stan Perkins, WMA president, has changed his mind. Or maybe IAAF Rule 39.2 did it. In reply to a query, Stan wrote me today: “All medals awarded to Val Barnwell as well as his relay team members will be requested to be returned. In addition, the change of placings in the events he contested will […]

March 18, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments