Archive for September, 2011

Joe Johnston shows off his Pole Vaulter Paradise: the Joe Dome

Hands down, this is the best single-athlete masters track video of all time! M65 world champ and record-setter Joe Johnston opened his “Joe Dome” in central Florida to Marc Middleton, founder and CEO of The (Growing) Bolder Media Group. See it here. Marc writes that he’s also Joe’s hurdle training partner and that he’s targeting […]

September 29, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  15 Comments

Rebenciuc claims M35 AR steeple record — 7 years after the fact

Sandu Rebenciuc won’t say it, but I will: He had an easier time dealing with Romania’s dictatorship than USATF’s when it comes to records. I didn’t know Sandu from Adam until a couple days ago when, out of the blue, he informed me that he’s the rightful owner of the M35 American record in the […]

September 28, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

Merlene Ottey apologizes for 11.84 at 51: ‘I’ll do better next year’

Simply incredible. Check out this video of W50 freak of nature Merlene Ottey running an 11.84 for 100 meters September 20 at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial meet in Warsaw, where she took fourth. She tells a Polish interviewer that her start was bad, but thought a British girl caught a flier. “I’ll be back in […]

September 26, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  30 Comments

Joy Upshaw, Kathy Bergen blast own U.S. records in San Diego

World champions Joy Upshaw and Kathy Bergen saved some of their best efforts for last, setting American records in the W50 long hurdles and W70 200, respectively, on a gorgeous Saturday at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. They ran in the USATF-sanctioned San Diego Senior Games. Both had busy days. (See results here.) […]

September 25, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

M35 Bernard Lagat takes New York’s Fifth Avenue Mile in 3:50.5

From The Associated Press report on today’s Fifth Avenue Mile: “American Bernard Lagat, coming off a silver medal in the 5,000 at worlds, earned his first victory in the men’s race in his fourth try, finishing in 3 minutes, 50.5 seconds to beat defending champion Amine Laalou of Morocco by 1.2 seconds. David Torrence of […]

September 24, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

World outdoor rankings for 2011 showing up on mastersathletics.net

It ain’t perfect, but it’s all we have. Martin Gasselsberger of Austria has been adding great seasonal stats to his mastersathletics.net world rankings page. See it here. He’s even reaching down to M30 and W30 submasters. It’s out of date already, of course, since it doesn’t list Clare Look-Jaeger’s world-leading 1.62 high jump of last […]

September 23, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  12 Comments

Impossible dream: setting a single-age American record that counts

Larry Barnum is Don Quixote in a track suit. He’s a world-class M65 long sprinter who ran an amazing 58.62 for 400 meters last weekend at Long Beach State — the same meet where Clare Look-Jaeger set her W45 American record in the high jump. (See results here.) So what windmill is Larry tilting at? […]

September 23, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  12 Comments

Jerry Bookin-Weiner unloads on throws fiascos at Sacto, Berea

Jerry Bookin-Weiner officially is USATF Masters T&F throws coordinator. Unofficially, he’s the conscience of our weight segment. That comes through stunningly in his latest Throwers Circle column in National Masters News. (You can download it here.) He rips the sport a new one for the way it treats throwers at nationals and worlds. I can’t […]

September 22, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  28 Comments

Never-ending sport: Santa Monica all-comers meets starting again

Southern Hemisphere aside, track season has weeks to go. But then it resumes shortly later — with the all-comers circuit. High schools and colleges are good for this. One especially noteworthy series is at Santa Monica High School near Los Angeles. See the three-meet series here. One meet is planned for December, January and February. […]

September 21, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Clare Look-Jaeger skies over W45 American record in the high jump

Clare Look-Jaeger never made it to the Olympics (although she made the Olympic Trials in 1992 and 1996 in the hep or high jump, or both.) But Sunday at Long Beach State, she topped an Olympian — beating Trish Porter’s W45 American record in the high jump, 1.62 to 1.61 meters. At 45, Clare is […]

September 18, 2011   Posted in: Uncategorized  8 Comments