Archive for July, 2015

Lesley Chaplin, Bernard Lagat lower own records in mile, 3000

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Switzerland. Bernard Lagat, our new M40 poster kid, ran 3000 meters in 7:42.75 at the Spitzenleichtathletik Meeting in Lucerne — beating his own listed world record of 8:00.23 from May. This is beyond belief. It’s like back-to-back 4:07 miles. (See results here.) The same day, Lesley Chaplin, at age […]

July 15, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Jim Chamberas dies at 71; famed as founder of Twilight Throwers

A special place in Masters Heaven is reserved for meet directors and club founders. No doubt Jim Chamberas is there now. He was both. Fellow throwers are mourning Jim’s death Sunday at the age of 71. They are posting on Twitter and the Twilight Throwers Facebook page — memories of the beloved coach and meet […]

July 14, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Drat, my AOL account was hacked. Just delete note about Dropbox

Monday morning, hundreds of people in my email address book got the note below. My AOL account had been hacked. I immediately called AOL to reset my password. It’s a common nuisance. I’ve seen this particular come-on before (read all about it) when others have been hacked. But rest assured — it wasn’t from me! […]

July 13, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Schedule posted for Jax nationals — but it’s lacking in precision

Four days after the July 9 promise date, a detailed schedule for Jacksonville masters nationals has been posted. See it here. But don’t take it as the final iteration. Many running events are set for the same time. So you’ll know in what hour a race goes off, but not the exact minute. This won’t […]

July 13, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  17 Comments

Crowdfunding on rise for Lyon worlds travel — even from India

Most athletes headed for Lyon are paying their way. But even M90 sprinters from India are exploring ways to fund-raise. Well, at least one: “Having proved his mettle in national and international competitions, 90-year-old veteran athlete Daulat Ram is now fighting a battle to arrange finances to participate in the World Masters Athletics Championship to […]

July 13, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

W80 world record in 4×100 relay falls to foursome in Minnesota

Like M90 sprinters, W80 racers are a rarity. So when four of them got together for a 400-meter relay at the National Senior Games, the timing was perfect for a world record. Results from Friday show a team called the Elite Eighties clocking 1:26.24. That blasted the listed WR of 1:49.15 by a Canadian quartet […]

July 12, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  9 Comments

Kathy Bergen’s latest W75 record not a jump or dash — try throw

It’s been documented that the National Senior Games has bigger fields than USATF masters nationals — but not the most talented. Well, that depends. Besides the other records noted, W75 Kathy Bergen added yet another record to her resume Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota. She beat a National Senior Games field of 17 in the […]

July 12, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

M100 sprinter stars at National Senior Games: Isett gets vault WR

Fred Winter is all about the summer games. On June 1, he turned 100. And this week he ran the 100 in 42.38. Results show NWI (for no wind indicated). But the M95 guy he races had a wind reading of 0.0, so go figure. (Thank goodness it didn’t beat the listed M100 American record […]

July 11, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

Detailed hourly sked posted for Lyon worlds: Will it work for you?

Organizers of Lyon worlds have to pack 8,042 athletes into four stadia in hundreds of events over two weeks in August. A schedule-maker’s nightmare. One hopes they used a Cray computer. In any case, the detailed schedule is now posted. I’ve written to WMA, seeking an interview with the schedulers to learn what challenges were […]

July 10, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  16 Comments

IAAF technical journal goes big on masters track, including Q&A

In July 2000, I took my family to the Sacramento Olympic Trials. Under a blazing sun, we saw blazing speed. In the stands I met Jimson Lee, a Canadian masters sprinter. Jimson, of course, went on to fame and fortune as founder of SpeedEndurance.com, the best sprint-centric site in existence. In March, we touched base […]

July 9, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments