Archive for December, 2015

Most issues of National Masters News through 2006 now posted

Thanks to funding from the USATF Masters T&F Committee, our historical archive has grown. On New Year’s Eve, I uploaded five years’ worth of National Masters News to mastershistory.org. Some 316 issues are now online — every edition of every year through 2006 except 2003 and 2004 (which I misplaced from the Al Sheahen Collection). […]

December 31, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

USATF Masters Hall of Fame 2015: Q&A with Phil Brusca

In our final Hall of Fame interview, we highlight Phil Brusca and one of his fans — Olympic discus medalist Richard Cochran (bronze in 1960). First, Dick: “Coach Phil Brusca has, and still is, a major positive factor in my athletic life. Throughout my high school years, Coach Brusca was the driving force behind what […]

December 30, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Silly season under way, but why not a masters vertical marathon?

China Daily reports that an international association has been established in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to oversee a new running sport: the vertical marathon. (Check out towerrunning.com) “Running the stairs of a very tall building was originated in the U.S.,” we’re told. “It has become an actual sport and according to organizers of the 2015 Asia […]

December 29, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

USATF Masters Hall of Fame 2015: Q&A with ‘Decamouse’ Watry

Jeff Watry’s alter ego is Decamouse. But don’t think for a minute his efforts are tiny. Jeff roars as the longtime organizer of indoor masters multi-event (combined event) nationals. So it was great to learn he was honored recently by induction into the USATF Masters Hall of Fame. Like Rex Harvey before him, Jeff is […]

December 28, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  12 Comments

Tom Langenfeld kicks off 2016 indoor season with AR in M80 HJ

Masters Hall of Famer Tom Langenfeld continued his march through the record books this month when he raised the American M80 indoor record in the high jump to 1.30 meters (4-3 1/4), clearing on his first try. He had three misses at 1.35 (4-5), which would have tied the listed indoor WR by Finland’s Samuel […]

December 27, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Did Sylvie win silver? W75 Ah Kang poses with Lyon world medal

World Masters Athletics posted a link to a report on Africans winning medals at Lyon. One is mystifying. The African masters site shows W75 Sylvie Ah Kang of Mauritius standing alone, displaying a silver medal. But for what event? Lyon results show she was DQ’d in the 80-meter hurdles, didn’t qualify for the finals in […]

December 26, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

Another claimaint to sub-5 mile streak forgets about Nolan Shaheed

Hope everyone had a great Christmas, especially Steve Spence, who ran his annual sub-5 mile a couple weeks ago — his 40th in a row. But as we learned over the summer, when another sub-5 streak was noted, Nolan Shaheed has a 50-year streak going. In Runner’s World, we hear from Scott Douglas that Steve’s […]

December 25, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  4 Comments

Now you can feel superior to kiddie nonathletes besides own demo

The American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology is out with a study that should make us feel good. It says our geezer muscles are better than kiddie muscles of nonathletes. The article is based on a Canadian study titled: “Reduction in single muscle fiber rate of force development with aging is not attenuated in world class […]

December 22, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

USATF Masters Hall of Fame 2015: Q&A with John Altendorf

John Altendorf has been a pole vault hero of mine for years — he provides so much record fodder. He’s the listed M65 outdoor WR man at 3.89 (12-9) and indoor WR holder at 3.86 meters (12-8). And he does it all in a fire-engine-red crash helmet. Gotta love it. At long last, he’s been […]

December 21, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  10 Comments

Dave Albo’s stunning photos of USATF Club XC Championships

Every year, track stars dominate the results of the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships. So again this year, Dec. 12, our top trackfolk were winners at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Nothing tells their story better than the images by Dave Albo. “My photography mission … afforded me a front row view of […]

December 20, 2015   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments