Archive for March, 2011

M100 record holder died in Japanese tsunami, IAAF report says

This was sadly inevitable: News of how the Japanese catastrophe affected masters athletes in Japan: “The IAAF is deeply saddened to receive the news that Takashi Shimokawara, one of the legends of Japanese and world masters athletics, was a victim of the recent tsunami which devastated large areas of Japan. The current world record holder […]

March 31, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Bogus record list bamboozles even National Masters News e-blast

Last weekend, a gent emailed me with the wonderful news of a W40 American record in the 1500: Kris Paaso, 40, running 4:29.54 at the Stanford University Invitational, beating the listed American record of 4:32.73 by Joan Nesbit in 2002. Then yesterday’s e-News from National Masters News revealed an even better claim: Sonja Friend-Uhl, 41, […]

March 30, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  17 Comments

Olga Kotelko video is on BBC: ‘I am what I am,’ W90 superstar says

What’s the most popular video subject on the BBC America website today? Japan? Libya? One-minute world news? Wrong on all counts. It’s Olga Kotelko, our W90 world-record superstar from British Columbia. She tells her story to freelancer Brandy Yanchyk. Olga is shown doing water training, weights and other stuff. Some of my photos from Lahti […]

March 29, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Monster day for M95 Don Pellmann: three world records, one AR

Don Pellmann was ready. His shadow was ready. The meet was ready (with a USATF sanction in hand). So yesterday at the Bay Area Senior Games held at Stanford, Don proceeded to smash three world records and one American record while being treated by paramedics for a pole vault injury to his leg. The shadow? […]

March 28, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Keith Bateman makes it a sweep! WRs from mile through 10,000

Last August, Aussie Keith Bateman called his shot. He came to the plate and pointed toward five world records in the M55 distances—1500, mile, 3000, 5000 and 10K. Nonsense, huh? Look again, sports fans. He made it 4-for-5 Saturday by lowering the outdoor record for 10,000 to an incredible 31:51.86— better than a half-minute faster […]

March 27, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

You ain’t seen nuthin yet! Whitlock ticketed for Rotterdam Marathon

Ed Whitlock’s recent speed drills (his indoor world records at Kamloops) are just the appetizer. The main dish comes April 10, when he’s entered in the marathon at Rotterdam — renowned as one of the fastest courses in the world. Of course, nothing is guaranteed when you’re 80 years young. But Ed “The Lock” Whitlock […]

March 26, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

House implements for rent? Poles will cost $15 a day at worlds

In response to an athlete’s question, I got this reply from LOC official Bob Burns about house implements at Sacramento worlds in July: “When we post the entrants’ manual online in May, it will go into greater detail, but here’s the situation with implements: At least three implements of each type of weight for an […]

March 25, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Calculate age-graded points on iPhone? There’s an app for that!

Stefan Waltermann shares this news for decathletes, heptathletes and everyone involved in the so-called combined events: “Jumpin’ Joe Johnston asked me last year if I could help with an Apple app, a combined-event point calculator for Apple Notebooks, iPhones and iPads. I politely declined but it stayed in the back of my mind. Now I […]

March 23, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  29 Comments

John Altendorf crushed M65 vault world record twice at Kamloops

Even though John Altendorf says he hasn’t been “jumping at a level I should,” he managed some passable vaults last weekend at Canadian masters indoor nationals. Yeah, I’d say. He upped the M65 world record twice, beating the listed WR of 3.51 by fellow Yank Matti Kilpelainen. “After not being able to make it to […]

March 22, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  13 Comments

You won’t believe Ed Whitlock’s M80 world record for indoor 3000

Ed Whitlock trains at an Ontario cemetery, but he’s about 10,000 miles from the grave. Over the weekend, he ran 3000 meters in 12:00.88, lowering the listed M80 world record of 13:30.77 by Oregon’s John Keston in 2005. He did this at Kamloops indoor nationals—the Canadian masters championships—only 13 days after turning 80. For sake […]

March 20, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments