Archive for January, 2011

Lance Elliott corrects his WMA entry, tells his own track record

Lance Elliott has gotten a speedy education in masters pathways, especially about what marks to enter for major meets. After I tweaked him for entering a 1:55 seed time for the M40 800 at Sacramento worlds, he graciously responded to my questions. And Wednesday he told me:  “If I knew the registration was going to be public […]

January 13, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

Italian trounces W45 indoor triple jump world record with 37-8

My Italian masters friend Andrea Benatti passes along some world-class triple jump news. Here’s his post, translated poorly: “Shocking news from the second day of the meeting of Modena, dated January 9: Elisa Neviani (04/29/1965) has gone where no woman in the universe in fact sports (from W45 and above) had never driven before in […]

January 12, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

World indoor records fall like flies—including W75 mile for Harada

Indoor season is sizzling amid the snow back East, with a bunch of world records to report. M65 Matti Kilpelainen jumped 3.51 meters at the Eastern Michigan University Invitational, beating the listed WR of 3.50 set last year by Esko Oikkonen of Finland. W75 pals Flo Meiler and Barbara Jordan of Vermont used the Jan. […]

January 11, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  8 Comments

Roald Bradstock may throw in British Olympic Trials—at age 50!

Roald Bradstock’s impossible dream just got less impossible. He may not throw jav in the 2012 London Olympics, but he’ll fall only one meet short. Over the weekend, he threw the spear 71.83 meters (235-8) at age 48, and thinks he qualified for the British Olympic Trials! Roald, who memorably threw in the U.S. Olympic […]

January 10, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Breakfast of Geezerchamps? Ralph Maxwell shares mush recipe

M90 hurdler Ralph Maxwell, who shared USATF Male Masters Athlete of the Year honors for 2010, also likes to share recipes. He writes: “Folks nowadays seem obsessed with diet. Especially those who are interested in achieving or preserving vibrant health as they grow older. As a 91-year-old active competitor in track and field, I’m often […]

January 9, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  11 Comments

Silly season begins for WMA Sacramento worlds registrant list

Entrants are trickling into the Sacramento worlds database. Willie Banks is coming, for example. Bill Cheadle is making another comeback in the 400 hurdles. And then there’s M40 Lance Elliott of the United States, entered in the 800 meters with a time of 1:55. This led Masters Mole 2221c to write me: “Uh huh sure-Right: […]

January 8, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  28 Comments

Bateman demolishes M55 world record for outdoor 5000 meters

Keith Bateman’s world record tour continues unabated down under. On Wednesday, Keith ran 5000 meters in a hand-timed 15:29.7 at an Athletics New South Wales “permit meet” at Blacktown Olympic Park in Sydney, reports Simon Butler-White, who says results of the meet should be online soon. The listed M55 WR is 15:37.0 by Britain’s Michael […]

January 7, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  22 Comments

New Mexico masters inspiration Hugh Hackett dies at age 90

Hugh Hackett, a New Mexico coaching legend who competed as recently as last year, died last month of a heart attack. He was 90, and his wife informed friends recently. Tim Edwards of Scottsdale, Arizona, writes that Hugh “often competed here in masters meets in Arizona as he split his time between Albuquerque and Mesa. […]

January 6, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Phil Raschker profiled in NYT, includes refuted sex-change theory

At Orono masters nationals in 2002, I met a transgender (male-to-female) sprinter. We sat in the far side of the stands, and she told me her story. She was kind of strange. She told me she never drinks water after competition. But one thing caught my attention: She told me she had seen Phil Raschker […]

January 5, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  15 Comments

M100 Austrian throwing star Alfred Proksch dies at age 102

The Koops’ website in Germany reports very sad news: M100 thrower Alfred Proksch died Jan. 3 of kidney failure less than a month after turning 102. He was one of five elder athletes featured in the German documentary “Herbstgold,” made by Jan Tenhaven and eventually to be out on DVD. Alfred threw both the shot […]

January 5, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments