Archive for November, 2016

120 USATF masters records set for ratification at Orlando meeting

Jeff Brower, masters records chair, has filed his list of USATF age-group records for approval in the wider Records Committee at the Orlando annual meeting. (See it here.) Some 168 marks were considered for review. Ten were rejected for reasons like illegal wind, meet lacking a USATF sanction or track not being marked properly. Three […]

November 30, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Merlene Ottey done sprinting? Retirement suggested in news story

Merlene Ottey in her 40s and 50s has been fun to follow as fan clubs (and moi) tracked her progress from one Olympiad to the next. Now it’s done. Merlene, 56, is quitting the masters record chase, says a Jamaican newspaper: “The evergreen sprinter told The Gleaner that she would welcome the opportunity to get […]

November 29, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

Irene Obera paired with Sydney McLaughlin in AoY announcement

It’s not news that W80 superstar Irene Obera is USATF’s Masters Athlete of the Year. But I love how Indy paired Irene, 82, with 16-year-old phenom Sydney McLaughlin in Monday’s homepage announcement. Sixty-six years apart, but fellow hurdlers they are. “McLaughlin and Obera will be honored on Saturday, December 3, at the Jesse Owens Awards […]

November 28, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

How many masters athletes have TUEs? WADA inspires question

WADA recently posted an FAQ on TUEs — therapeutic use exemptions. Russian hackers put TUEs in the news after Olympians’ data were made public. And we learned: “Based on information compiled by WADA from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, there were 143 TUEs held by a total of 11,303 competing athletes. 51 TUEs were granted […]

November 27, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Rev. Dick Camp’s advice on life, track: ‘Be physically, spiritually fit’

M80 sprinter Dick Camp sent friends a Thanksgiving message with thoughts good all year ’round. He wrote from Stuttgart, Germany, where he was visiting his daughter (who talked about her Dad’s fight with Parkinson’s a year ago.) “Being thankful causes us to be reflective,” Dick wrote. “Now that I’ve reached 80, I’m looking back at some […]

November 26, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Why no info on 2018 Malaga outdoor world meet on WMA website?

If Perth was near perfection, Malaga is a mystery. The 2018 world masters outdoor meet isn’t even listed yet on the WMA website. “Nothing on the outdoor meet,” writes a friend. “Seems like putting on the world masters outdoor and indoor meets are the primary job of WMA, so why is this information so hard […]

November 25, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  13 Comments

Q&A with Vin Lananna, candidate for president of USA Track & Field

Vin Lananna has experience at every major level of track and field, and became a legend at Oregon and TrackTownUSA, bringing Olympic Trials and IAAF worlds to Portland or Eugene. He was head men’s track coach at the Rio Games. Now he wants to be elected president of USATF. Cool. (But first he has to […]

November 24, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  11 Comments

Masters-connected brass reach for USATF LDR Division ring

Don Lein, Teddy Mitchell and Michael Scott are running for chairman of the USATF Long Distance Running Division at the Orlando annual meeting. Generally, I ignore roadies, but many of my LDR friends also compete on the track. So for their sake, I hope the right choice is made. Don is probably the best known […]

November 22, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Marathon halved at outdoor worlds in Perth General Assembly votes

Race walkers, rejoice. A 5K outdoor walk is being added to WMA world indoor meets after 2017. But road runners may have mixed feelings. They’re losing a marathon and gaining a half-marathon at outdoor worlds. Those were among decisions made in late October when General Assembly delegates met in Perth. Minutes of that meeting haven’t […]

November 21, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  6 Comments

Q&As with Rex Harvey, Robert Thomas: masters chair candidates

As promised, I shot questionnaires to the two candidates for chairman of the USATF Masters Track & Field Committee. Both replied this weekend. I didn’t give them a maximum or minimum limit, so take that it account when you read responses from Hall of Famer Rex Harvey and world-class long sprinter Robert Thomas. The biggest […]

November 20, 2016   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments