Archive for June, 2014

San Diego USATF offers $500 stipends for newbies at nationals

Steve Kleinstuber, director of the June 28 Chuck McMahon masters meet north of San Diego, reports that the San Diego-Imperial USATF association is offering a pair of $500 stipends to help local USATF members attend Winston-Salem nationals in July. This is part of the initiative to get first-timers to nationals. National Masters News, in its […]

June 5, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Who wants to host 2018 worlds? (Time for SoCal in rotation)

WMA Secretary Winston Thomas says World Masters Athletics is looking for bidders for the 2018 Stadia Championships (aka outdoor worlds). “The Bid application, guidelines and a preliminary contract are on the WMA Website under Championships (Championship Bids). For all Affiliate, Cities or Towns with interest, please read the information. For any further information, please contact […]

June 5, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  11 Comments

Don Gammie dies at 83; once held M60 American record for 3000

Don Gammie had a simple philosophy as a masters runner: “I didn’t like people to pass me.” That helped him run dozens of marathons and set M55 and M60 masters distance records. He died Tuesday at the age of 83, according to his local Arkansas newspaper. The paper said: “Donald Gammie, whose records in Masters […]

June 4, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Willis Kleinsasser dies at 86; pioneer masters multi-event champ

Willis Kleinsasser is often relegated to “Father of Olympian Ruth Wysocki” status, but today we mourn the passing of a masters track pioneer who helped put our sport on the map. Willis died early Monday, Ruth reports. She writes: “He had turned 86 on May 9. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 13 years ago, and […]

June 4, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Rudy Briscoe burns a sub-23 200 at age 56 — with illegal wind

M55 sprinter Rudy Briscoe was being congratulated Monday on Facebook. An image showed his 200-meter time in mastersrankings.com. It said 22.89. Yowza! That crushes the listed age-group WR of 23.36 by Bill Collins. It would make him the oldest man to go sub-23. The May 31 mark at the National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, […]

June 4, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Winston-Salem nationals set for sprint races in both directions

At last year’s Olathe nationals, I was robbed of season PRs because my sprints were run into a Kansas gale. (Surrender, Dorothy!) But at Winston-Salem nationals in July, that won’t be a problem. Meet director Noel Ruebel says timing is available for sprints and hurdles in both directions. He also shared other cool features of […]

June 3, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

Wilt Chamberlain weighed comeback in 1982 — in masters track

Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain died at age 63 in 1999, but when he was 45 in 1982, he considered returning to an earlier love — track and field. Dave Ortman found this revelation in an Associated Press article in the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World. Wilt the Stilt said he was thinking about masters track — doing […]

June 3, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Vaulters Isett, Ritte resume their WR rampages outdoors in 2014

In his M75 debut, Don Isett of Texas raised the world age-group record twice Saturday, jumping 2.95 (9-8) and then clearing a WR 3.08 (10-1 1/4) and finally 3.20 meters (10-6). He competed at the USATF Southwest Association Masters & Open Track and Field Championship at St Mark’s School in Dallas, and “application was filed […]

June 2, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Canada’s Helly Visser crushes 9-minute mile barrier — at age 80

Thirteen years ago, Alan Webb set the high school record in the mile by running 3:53.43 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. That same day, 80-year-old Gerry Davidson set an age-group mile record at UC Irvine, clocking an amazing 9:00.52. She would never go faster. She died at age 90 in 2011. So how […]

June 1, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments