Archive for November, 2014

Susan Kassey’s masters moment is Hartford Courant’s failure

Here’s a lovely story about a Connecticut police officer making a track comeback after 35 years. Her career was cut short at age 15, when her dad died. But Susan Kassey, the subject of a Hartford Courant report, deserved better. The story is full of mistakes and overstatements. Count ’em in just one paragraph: “Masters […]

November 21, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

So what has Lavinia Petrie done lately? Try W70 WR at 3000m

Only days before getting her WMA World Best Masters Athlete award in Monaco, Lavinia Petrie of Australia added to her record-setting legend. At a Bendigo meet Tuesday night, she ran 3000 meters (a half-lap short of 2 miles) in 12:52.03. That makes her the oldest woman to go sub-13 and beats her own listed W70 […]

November 20, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

David Pain accepts lifetime service award from San Diego TC

David Pain, our Columbus, was honored Sunday by the San Diego Track Club with a lifetime service award. He and pioneer female road runner Donna Gookin were applauded by 200 people at the San Diego Hall of Champions, a sports museum in Balboa Park. Competitor.com ran a story about the awards, named for legendary San […]

November 19, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Track world finally notes WMA World Best Athletes of the Year

A week before the World Athletics Gala in Monte Carlo, the IAAF itself and British track mag Athletics Weekly have noted the winners of WMA World Best Masters awards — Guido Muller and Lavinia Petrie. (We had the news nearly two months ago.) WMA posted their credits. (Click on their names above.) I learned a […]

November 18, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Willie Banks sees doubling or tripling in masters track budget

Look for the USATF Masters T&F Committee budget to double or triple in the next two or three years. That’s the prediction of Olympian and former world record holder Willie Banks, a member of the USATF Board of Directors since 2009. He made the forecast Saturday night as the featured speaker at the annual awards […]

November 17, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Olympic shot champ hints comeback if Eugene snags IAAF meet

Olympian Adam Nelson, the 2004 shot gold medalist and 2000 silver medalist, has tweeted: “If eugene gets world championships, I’d consider coming out of retirement for a chance to represent the U.S. In the US.” He refers to the Hayward Field bid to host the 2019 IAAF world outdoor championships. Adam would be 44 at […]

November 16, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Kathy Martin after latest USATF AoW: Masters keep raising the bar

Masters Hall of Famer Kathy Martin, 63, confirms that this week’s USATF Athlete of the Week designation was indeed her fourth. “And such an honor,” she graciously writes, responding to my inquiry. “As Masters athletes, we just keep raising the bar for our youth to surpass. It was a good race. Venue [at Indiana masters […]

November 15, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Kathy Martin wins USATF Athlete of the Week at event she owns

Retire the award. Or at least name it for Kathy Martin. USATF on Wednesday announced its Athlete of the Week honor — and for at least the fourth time since 2011, it goes to our own Kick-Ass Kathy of New York state. She wins it for claiming the masters 5K cross country title (for the […]

November 14, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Bob Hewitt: Masters Athlete of the Year honor is ‘tops for me’

Bob Hewitt says he heard of his selection as USATF Masters Male Athlete of the Year from a friend in Stockholm, Sweden. “Lars Wennblom emailed me congrats for being selected male AOY. I told him he must be confused with my 75+ award from 2013,” Bob, now 81, graciously told me via an email Q&A. “After he […]

November 13, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Multi-eventer Bob Hewitt is USATF Male Masters Athlete of Year

Outpolling the likes of steeplechasers/mile stars Brad Barton and Nolan Shaheed, multi-event record-setter Bob Hewitt has been named USATF Masters Male Athlete of the Year. Oregon Bob is an M80 superstar. He set world indoor records in the long jump and pentathlon and three American records (adding the indoor hep). He competes infrequently, but when […]

November 12, 2014   Posted in: Uncategorized  8 Comments